Welcome to the Summer 2025 issue of the Gift Planning Council newsletter! We hope you gain insights related to estate and charitable planning that you can use and share with your clients and colleagues.
We invite you to browse the content below and click on the links to learn more. We hope you find the messages fresh, relevant, and positive. Enjoy!
Peacemakers
Ed Knight, Sr. Manager, Gift Planning Services, Philanthropies
On behalf of the Gift Planning Services team, I extend our gratitude for our association with you and for the good work you do to serve others. Whether in your professional role or through other avenues, your service brings peace and hope to people. In a world filled with worries and strife, your compassion and dedication can bring peace to the lives of clients you serve. We recognize your efforts to be peacemakers.
As followers of Christ, we strive to be peacemakers. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers.” He also gave us an invitation with a promise: “Let us show that there is a peaceful, respectful way to resolve complex issues and an enlightened way to work out disagreements. As you demonstrate the charity that true followers of Jesus Christ manifest, the Lord will magnify your efforts beyond your loftiest imagination.”
The Savior offered this reassurance: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). While the world around us may shift with uncertainties, such as changing laws and economic conditions, there is absolute certainty in our Savior and His Atonement. His certainty can give us lasting peace.
Again, we are thankful for our relationships with you. We look forward to gathering with you at the Gift Planning Council Conference on November 13-14, 2025, in Salt Lake City. May we each be blessed as peacemakers in our professional practice—and as we practice our professions of Christ.
A Look Back: GPC Conference 2023
In case you missed it or would like to review what we learned, we have videos from our last Gift Planning Council Conference available. One of these was an ethics panel with David Grant, Diana George, and Steve Radmall. This panel is just a taste of the inspiring insights you may gain from attending the conference. We hope you’ll seriously consider it.
As an additional service to our Gift Planning Council friends, we have made other video presentations on timely topics available on our website. These were given by our talented colleagues. This also includes presentations given during past GPS events. We hope they add value to you and your clients.
Opportunities at Brigham Young University
“Inspiring learning” is what Brigham Young University is all about; the phrase summarizes the university’s mission “to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.”
Through donations to BYU’s Inspiring Learning Initiative, generous alumni and friends provide students with valuable experiences such as mentored learning, research assistantships, internships, study abroad opportunities, work study, and other student aid. Donors also provide support for additional board-approved programs, including BYU Athletics and BYU Broadcasting.
“Some have wondered whether we will continue to emphasize inspiring learning. The answer to that question is a resounding yes! Of course we will! We have no choice. . . . As long as we are true to our mission and aims, we will promote inspiring learning,” says President C. Shane Reese.
To learn more about BYU, the Inspiring Learning Initiative, and how donors can further this great work, click here.
Informational Videos
We have created numerous informational videos that can be used easily to introduce and even educate individuals about segments of gift planning. They are easily available in the Gift Planning section of the Philanthropies website. One example is the following:
Donor Advised Funds
This video gives you a one-minute guide to how Donor Advised Funds work.
