May 27th at 9:00 am– “Charitable Estate Planning from Quick Wins to Complex Gifts” conversation led by Kevin Sylvester of Eagle Mount and Traci Weller of the MSU Alumni Foundation. This session will be in-person in the Bozeman Public Library Community Room.
Description: Leaving charitable bequests in a will is the most popular way for donors to make planned gifts. Yet, they're far from the only way. From simple gifts to complex trusts, there are many different types of planned gifts. Join us as we explore the low hanging fruit in planned giving and why charitable estate planning should matter to your organization.
Speaker Bios: Traci Weller, CFRE, CSPG: Traci Weller is a seasoned philanthropic professional with nearly three decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. She sees philanthropy as a major expression of her life’s mission, in terms of her own personal giving, but also in helping others realize their full philanthropic potential. As Senior Director of Estate, Trust and Gift Planning with the Montana State University Alumni Foundation, she has collaborated with donors and their advisors to design and close a variety of gifts in support of all aspects of MSU’s mission. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), and in 2014, earned designation as a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG) from the American Institute of Philanthropic Studies at California State University, Long Beach. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Montana Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and in 2019, received the Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award for the state of Montana from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Montana Chapter and the Montana Nonprofit Association. She balances her career with a healthy dose of mindfulness to reduce stress, and boost her mood, focus and productivity. In her spare time, she enjoys getting outdoors with her husband and two dogs, reading, cooking and meditation.
Kevin Sylvester, CFRE, FCEP: After leading recreation and conservation programs throughout the deep woods of Maine, northern Minnesota, and in the Southwest, Kevin moved to Billings, MT to work with the Montana Conservation Corps, which ignited his love for the big sky. It was in Billings where Kevin first learned about the mission of Eagle Mount through his involvement as a ski volunteer. Kevin moved to Bozeman in early 2015 when he assumed the executive director position at Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. Through his leadership at Family Promise, Kevin led the organization through significant program and operational expansion, building the organization’s capacity and strengthening its fundraising initiatives. Kevin joined Eagle Mount in Sept 2019 and oversees the organization’s strategic plan, fundraising initiatives, and internal operations.
Kevin holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Public Administration from Montana State University. Kevin is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning (FCEP). In 2017, Kevin was named a 20 under 40 recipient by the Bozeman Chronicle, an honor that spotlights southwest Montana’s top young business professionals.
If there is anything One Valley Community Foundation can do to make this session more accessible for you, please contact Jill Ellwood at jill@onevalley.org or 406-587-6262 x 20.