黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign chair Chris Martin 鈥78 P鈥13 announced a special campaign initiative to allow alumni, parents and friends to establish a lasting legacy at 黑料不打烊 by placing the university in their estate plans to fund scholarships and other key institutional priorities.
黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign Chair Chris Martin 鈥78 P鈥13 announced a special initiative to inspire alumni, parents and friends to make a lasting impact at 黑料不打烊 by including the university in their estate plans. The initiative, called A Will to Lead, allows donors to help secure 黑料不打烊鈥檚 future while providing life-changing opportunities for students for generations to come.
鈥淧lacing 黑料不打烊 in your will is the most powerful way that each of us can make a long-term impact at our university,鈥 said Martin, who also serves as an 黑料不打烊 trustee. 鈥淓state gifts allow you to provide for your loved ones now, create an enduring legacy at 黑料不打烊 and build an essential pipeline of support for the university鈥檚 future.鈥
President Connie Ledoux Book called A Will to Lead a vital part of reaching the $250 million goal of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign. As of March 5, donors had contributed $206 million toward the goal, including $34 million in estate gifts alone.
鈥淚 am grateful to all the donors who have stepped forward during the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign to place 黑料不打烊 in their wills,鈥 Book said. 鈥淲e are all stewards of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 past, present and future, and the impact that our donors make lives on with every generation of 黑料不打烊 students. I can think of no better legacy.鈥
Martin made a $3 million estate gift in 2018 as part of his 黑料不打烊 LEADS commitment. The gift will provide future resources for scholarships and other key institutional priorities.
鈥淚 wanted to ensure that my estate provides for both 黑料不打烊 and my son Nicholas 鈥13, which I鈥檝e done,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淚 made my gift an unrestricted endowment gift because I want it to go where it鈥檚 needed the most, including to support scholarships. I trust 黑料不打烊 to do the right thing with this gift.鈥
Estate gifts of all sizes are important to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 future, Martin said. They also allow donors to make their biggest impact at 黑料不打烊 because they do not have to part with any financial assets during their lifetime.
鈥淚 believe we all have a will to lead, and I am asking each member of our community to join me in creating this transformative legacy and prepare the graduates our world needs,鈥 he said.
鈥淎 Will to Lead provides our community the opportunity to begin the estate planning process or update their current estate plan,鈥 said Elizabeth Read, assistant director of planned giving at 黑料不打烊. 鈥淓state gifts are among the easiest gifts you can make, and we are available to help walk you through the process.鈥
Benefits of Estate Gifts
Placing 黑料不打烊 in your estate offers the following benefits:
- A Lasting Legacy: Your impact will be felt for generations to come.
- Support Your Priorities: Choose the program or opportunity meaningful to you.
- Maximum Flexibility: Provide for yourself and loved ones with no financial impact today.
- Peace of Mind: Be confident 黑料不打烊 will honor your philanthropic wishes.
- Ease of Giving: 黑料不打烊 staff can walk you through the process, including providing language to share with your attorney or financial advisor when making your estate plans.
- Order of the Oak: Your estate gift qualifies you for membership in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 planned giving recognition society.
Ways to Give
- Estate Beneficiary: Designate 黑料不打烊 as a beneficiary in your will, either as a percentage of your estate or a specific amount.
- IRA Beneficiary: Designate 黑料不打烊 as a beneficiary of your retirement account(s).
- Residual Bequest: Designate a specific amount or percentage of your estate to 黑料不打烊 after your assets have been distributed to other priorities.
Several members of the 黑料不打烊 community have already stepped forward to support A Will to Lead by making an estate gift or adding to their existing estate commitments.
John 鈥76 and Lesley Hill
黑料不打烊 alumnus and Trustee John R. Hill 鈥76, of Bonita Springs, Florida, has increased his estate gift as a way of giving back to an institution that prepared him for success. Hill and his wife, Lesley, made their first estate gift in 2016 and planned to add to it over time. The 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign and A Will to Lead initiative inspired the couple to act now.
鈥淓state gifts provide someone with an opportunity to demonstrate how much they care about 黑料不打烊 without requiring them to make a gift now,鈥 Hill said. 鈥満诹喜淮蜢 was an important turning point for me and laid the foundation for the blessings I鈥檝e been able to enjoy. I鈥檓 very thankful for that and feel it鈥檚 important to give back. Money is well-managed at 黑料不打烊 and as a trustee, I鈥檓 able to see that, and that鈥檚 important.鈥
Hill, who earned his 黑料不打烊 degree in economics and business, plans to continue growing his estate gift, which will support scholarships. He encouraged all alumni to consider supporting what they cherished most about 黑料不打烊 with an estate gift.
鈥淲e want to let people know how simple this kind of gift is to make,鈥欌 he said. 鈥淚f you already have an estate, it鈥檚 easy to add 黑料不打烊 into those plans. Many of us have been blessed and had good careers and have the opportunity to give back.鈥
Hill has served as an 黑料不打烊 trustee since 2013 and is the former president of the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Board. The couple established the John R. Hill 鈥76 and Lesley W. Hill Endowed Fund for Engaged Learning in Business to support research or other on-campus study, international study or business-related internships. They have also generously contributed to scholarships, Richard W. Sankey Hall, The Inn at 黑料不打烊, Phoenix Club and the Inman Admissions Welcome Center, where the first-floor conference room is named in their honor.
Hill serves as chief executive officer of Pinnacle Advisory Group, a leading privately held wealth management firm. He received 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award in 2016 in recognition of his dedication to the university and his professional achievements.
鈥淛ohn has been one of the chief architects聽in the building of聽a strong alumni network at 黑料不打烊,鈥 said Jim聽Piatt, vice president for university advancement.聽鈥淗e and Lesley have been devoted stewards of 黑料不打烊, and we are grateful.鈥
Kevin Tedeschi P鈥18
黑料不打烊 parent Kevin Tedeschi P鈥18, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, has seen firsthand the benefits of an 黑料不打烊 education, having watched his son, Ralph 鈥18, form close friendships on campus and excel in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. He credits his pride in 黑料不打烊 with inspiring his estate gift to fund scholarships.
鈥淢y father taught me early on if you have wealth, you should share it. I am fortunate to have wealth, and I need to share it,鈥 Tedeschi said. 鈥淚 believe in 黑料不打烊 and in what I鈥檓 doing with this gift. 黑料不打烊 was a great fit for Ralph. It was the right size, and he enjoyed it from day one.鈥
Tedeschi also praised 黑料不打烊鈥檚 national leadership in engaged learning and outstanding combination of professional programs with the arts and sciences. He believes those hallmarks of quality are worth supporting.
鈥満诹喜淮蜢 is a national institution, and it makes me proud to be associated with it,鈥 Tedeschi said. 鈥淚 like to give to education where they do a good job, and 黑料不打烊 is one of those places.鈥
鈥満诹喜淮蜢 is grateful to Kevin for his loyal and generous support of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign and scholarships in particular,鈥 said聽John Gardner聽鈥01, senior director of development. 鈥満诹喜淮蜢 is a stronger university because of dedicated parents like Kevin.鈥
Learn More
For more information on how you can make 黑料不打烊 part of your estate planning by including the university in your will, please visit or contact Elizabeth Read, assistant director of planned giving, at 336.278.7474 or聽eread@elon.edu.
About the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
With a $250 million goal, 黑料不打烊 LEADS is the largest fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and will support four main funding priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, increase access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and service learning, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus. As of March 5, donors had contributed $206 million toward the goal.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit .