Interviews with Professional Advisors
In conversations with MaineCF staff, professional advisors share stories and advice related to helping clients learn about the benefits of charitable giving.
Rick Abbondanza: Exit Strategies for Investment Real Estate
In an interview with Jennifer Richard, director of gift planning at MaineCF, Portland attorney Rick Abbondanza discusses how gifts to charity can help real estate clients manage income taxes. MaineCF: What provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act...
Christian Barner: Recognizing Charitable Awareness
For estate planner Christian Barner, responsibility plays a significant role in charitable giving. As he notes in a recent conversation with Jennifer Southard, Maine Community Foundation vice president, donor services and operations, Barner also ...
Connie Bingham: “Start With the Client, Not the Bag of Tricks”
Accountants can play a significant role in a client’s charitable planning, says Connie Bingham, tax director at Macdonald Page & Co., LLC. In conversation with Jennifer Southard, MaineCF’s vice president, donor services and gift planning,...
Jamie Boulette: Digging a Little Deeper
CPA Jamie Boulette discusses how tax benefits of a charitable remainder trust helped his client discover her legacy. MaineCF: How were you first introduced to the Maine Community Foundation? In the early 2000s, a longtime client of mine,...
Brenda Buchanan: Community, Equity, and a New Frontier
An advisor to the Maine Community Foundation’s Equity Fund, Portland attorney Brenda Buchanan thinks a lot about the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community in Maine. Here Buchanan talks about the Equity Fund and a...
Nathan Dane: A Partnership Fulfills a Client’s Dream
In his current work with Rudman & Winchell and previous solo practice, estate and trusts attorney Nathan “Pete” Dane has worked with the Maine Community Foundation to help clients make the most of their charitable visions. In conversation with...
Joel Davis: “Incite and Enhance” Philanthropy
Joel Davis likes to encourage his colleagues in the financial advisor field to talk about philanthropy with their clients. A popular speaker on a variety of estate planning topics, Davis presents a strong case for the important role a financial...
Peter Dufour: Making the Most of Your Assets
Peter Dufour, a tax attorney and CPA, visits the Portland waterfront near his office. He serves on the board of directors of Friends of Casco Bay. Photo Andrea Nemitz Portland-based tax attorney and CPA Peter Dufour considers the benefits of a...
Richard Engels: Helping Clients Keep It Local
Presque Isle attorney and former Aroostook County Committee member Richard Engels has seen how the Maine Community Foundation can help both charitable individuals and nonprofit organizations. He discusses some of his experiences in this...
Martha Greene: The “Power and Joy” of Giving
Through her work with the JTG Foundation and interactions with the Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC) and Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF), Martha "Meg" Greene, a trust and estate lawyer, has come to appreciate the power of philanthropy. In...
Brian Hamel: Coaching Clients
Head coach Brian Hamel (left) with Team Maine at the Special Olympics USA Nationals held in Princeton, New Jersey, in June 2014. Team Maine won a bronze medal. Presque Isle estate planner Brian Hamel explains how connecting with people in his...
Jeffrey Jones: Gifts That Keep On Giving
When Jeffrey Jones, an attorney specializing in trusts, estates and probate law, talks to clients about charitable giving, he encourages them to consider charitable giving independently, not just for tax reasons. He also believes in...
Richard LeBlanc: Our First Job Is to Listen
Richard LeBlanc is senior attorney at the Portland law firm of LeBlanc & Young. His practice focuses on estate and trust administration, estate planning, business succession planning and charitable giving. As a seasoned estate planner with a...
Leigh McCarthy: The Importance of Knowing What's Possible
As a seasoned estate planner, Leigh McCarthy stresses the importance of helping clients think about the possibilities for being philanthropic in their wills and plans. In a conversation at her Bangor office, McCarthy expanded on the importance of...
Mary McQuillen: A Foundation of One’s Own?
In her law practice Mary McQuillen represents a number of private foundations. As she pointed out in an interview with Jennifer Southard, Maine Community Foundation’s vice president, donor services and operations, a donor-advised fund is sometimes...
Sally Mills: A Partnership With Reach
One of the most satisfying parts of Ellsworth estate attorney Sally Mills’ work is helping charitable individuals who have relocated to Maine find ways to apply their philanthropic passions in their new home. In a recent conversation with...
Nat Putnam: Framing the Charitable Discussion
Bangor attorney Nat Putnam explains how he works with clients to weave their charitable goals into estate planning. MaineCF: In your role as a trusts and estates attorney, what sort of conversations do you have with your clients about their...
Amanda Rand: Helping Clients Focus On the Fun Part
In her role as financial advisor, Portland attorney Amanda Rand helps her clients make the most of their charitable giving. As Rand tells Jennifer Southard, vice president, donor services and operations, she considers the Maine Community Foundation...
Jennifer Richard: Use Your Ears First
Jennifer Richard, MaineCF’s director of gift planning, shares insights from her years as a trusts and estates attorney. MaineCF: Working with clients in your former practice, how did the question of charitable giving come up? Jennifer...
Donna Ryan: Discovering What Might Be
Donna Ryan is a principal in the tax services department at Baker Newman & Noyes in Portland. Ryan specializes in individual, estate and trust tax matters, as well as personal financial planning. As a financial advisor, Ryan seeks to help her...
Dick Trafton: Leadership Should Promote Involvement
Drawing on his experience as a civic leader, Auburn lawyer Richard Trafton shares his thoughts on leadership and also talks about balancing the life of a lawyer with public service. MaineCF: You have an interesting background as a public...
Barbara Wheaton: Philanthropy and Estate Planning for All
Attorney Barbara Wheaton has been practicing in the area of estate planning for more than 17 years. Her clients include individuals, financial institutions, and tax-exempt organizations. In a recent conversation with Jennifer Southard, vice...
Joe Wishcamper: Turning Real Estate Into Charitable Assets
As founder and first president of the Maine Real Estate Development Association, Lyndel “Joe” Wishcamper has had extensive experience in the field. In recent years he has worked with MaineCF on several occasions to convert...
Symbiotic Ways Private Foundations Use Community Foundations and Other Organizations
Symbiotic Ways Private Foundations Use Community Foundations and Other Organizations By Bryan Clontz, CFP As philanthropic advisors, our job is to recommend the best method to meet our client’s charitable objectives. If a direct gift is not...
