By Virginia Root
"Think before you begin," my father was known for saying. He was a musician, craftsman, and scholar. For me, it was time to think in 2004, when my long-time physician delivered some potentially serious news. It wasn't surgery that I found daunting, but the impulse to clean the closets, purge the personal files, and update my will!
I had been pondering my charitable giving habits and felt the need to become more focused philosophically on the issues that had come to have special meaning for me. Fewer, more significant gifts became my goal. I could see that it would take both my head and my heart to make the decision to designate planned gifts to be made from my estate a true commitment. I went about establishing basic requirements for making my choices.
I had to:
- Know the organization, its leadership and mission
- Know the people. Meet staff, volunteers, and board members
- Know the financial soundness and ethical standards of the organization.
Next, I applied these requirements to the organizations I knew best and to which I regularly made gifts. I also thought about less familiar nonprofits that I read or heard about consistently. My interests kept returning to children, medicine, and education.
The "heart" unfolded easily. I wanted to honor my family. I wanted my dollars to make a difference. I sought to select organizations that demonstrated strength of character, innovation, and a vibrant strategy for its future. That is how Children's Home Society of Washington came to be on my "A" list.
In 2000, when I had known CHSW professionally for 10 years, had done a little homework and had made some modest contributions, President/CEO Sharon Osborne unexpectedly invited me to become a trustee. Sharon is a leader and a listener, a teacher and innovator, and a highly effective collaborator and advocate. She knows and understands the needs of children and families. I became a true believer.
As a new board member, I came to know other members and CHSW staff. They all made a difference. I saw that CHSW met all the "requirements" of both my head and my heart.
As a parent and grandparent, I now have the experience and knowledge to understand that there are few things more important than providing a good start in life for a child, providing support for a family, and maintaining that relationship for as long as it is needed.
Please join me and all who do their best work as advocates for Washington's children and families.
For more information about CHSW and planned giving opportunities, please contact Jim Laugen, Vice President of Resource Development at (206) 718-5907 or visit our Planned Giving page.