I had the pleasure of going to a presentation yesterday as part of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Philanthropic Advisor’s Forum. It’s a group of other professionals (estate planning attorneys, CPAs, financial planners, etc…) who deal with clients who give to charities.  One speaker, Scott Hanson (from Hanson McClain Advisors), spoke about this new project that kicks off today. It’s called Give Local Now.  There will be billboards, TV ads, radio spots, print ads, etc… about this and all aimed at getting people to keep their charitable donations LOCAL in the Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties area.  We saw some of the advertisements and they are first class productions!

The gist of it is that Sacramento, on average, gives less money than the rest of the country. Yes, economic times are tough here but the charitable giving even by our high income earners is significantly lower than high income earners elsewhere in the country. Looking at the numbers for our charitable giving was embarrassing!  On top of that a large percentage of people, in our region, give their charitable dollars to charities elsewhere.

This is our region. This is where we live. This is where we raise our kids.  This is where we will grow old.  Next time you are making a charitable donation think first if there is a local alternative!  Give Local Now!

The website is www.givelocalnow.org

I encourage you to look at their website as it’s a great project.

There are a ton of great options for including non-profits in your financial and estate plan.  Charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, testamentary charitable trusts, direct gifts, and the list goes on and on. If you want to talk about what options might help a local charity and put more money into your loved one’s hands down the road I encourage you to contact an attorney who has been deemed a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Lastly, as always, you can contact me with questions or visit our website, www.californiaprobate.infofor more information.

-John