University of Maine Foundation Celebrates 25 Years of Charles F. Allen Legacy Society

Even during this uncertain time, milestones are important to mark. On May 20, the University of Maine Foundation hosted a virtual event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Charles F. Allen Legacy Society. 

Over $114 million in planned gifts have been received from donors’ estates by the University of Maine Foundation since the Charles F. Allen Legacy Society has been in existence. Through the 25 years there have been over 1,017 members of the society. 

“Legacy giving plays a significant role in overall philanthropy to benefit the University of Maine,” states Foundation President Jeffery Mills. “Many people make their largest gift through their estate plans, which allows them to use their assets during their lifetime and create a lasting legacy after they pass.”

The Society recognizes alumni and friends of the University of Maine who intend to support the University by making a bequest or other form of planned or deferred gift through the University, the University of Maine Foundation, the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, the Alumni Association or the 4-H Foundation. 

The Society was created in 1995 when then-Foundation President Amos Orcutt decided to pursue the idea after being inspired through a conference he attended. UMaine President Fred Hutchinson was fully supportive of the idea, along with Development Director David Yarington and UMaine Alumni Association President Max Burry. With additional support in the form of the first order of recognition lapel pins from loyal alumnus Warren Flagg ’35, the Society, named after UMaine’s first president, Charles F. Allen, became a reality.  

“It was even more than just thanking our existing donors, it was about promoting legacy giving and discovering and thanking those who had not made their intentions known. I believe the Society has been a roaring success,” says Orcutt.

Planned gifts take many forms including bequests, trusts, annuities, retirement and life insurance assets.

Recent alumna, Emma Turlo ’20, shared her gratitude for the scholarship aid that she received as a UMaine student and her family’s multi-generation connection to UMaine. 

University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy congratulated the Foundation, thanked donors and updated the virtual audience on UMaine’s ongoing efforts related to the pandemic.

Sarah McPartland-Good, who leads the planned giving staff at the Foundation, shared information about legacy gifts received and future legacy gifts anticipated to benefit UMaine. Because of planned gifts from some very generous donors, the University:

• has been able to support tens of thousands of students with scholarship aid of all sorts
• has been able to give hundreds of loans to medical, dental and veterinary students
• has the incredible Darling Marine Center in Walpole
• has operational funds for its astronomy center, its School of Policy and International Affairs, its museums, its performing arts center, its student volunteer center, its colleges, athletics, Fogler Library, its departments, Buchanan Alumni House, the  4-H Foundation, the Alumni Association and the Pulp and Paper Foundation
• has professorships to inspire phenomenal teaching
• has funds for campus maintenance to convey that the University is a special place and should look the part
• has campus activity funds to support activities, projects and programs for students

 Future planned gifts will also provide even more support for:

• University of Maine students who are graduates of high schools like Deer-Isle Stonington, Medomak Valley, Nokomis, Dexter, Westbrook, Waterville, Messalonskee, Lawrence, Winslow, Foxcroft Academy, Bangor, Fort Kent, Hancock County schools, Fort Fairfield, Lewiston, Gorham, Orono, Telstar, Hall-Dale, Richmond, Caribou and Gardiner
• University of Maine students who are studying to be teachers, and those who are studying physics, engineering physics, engineering technology, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, biomedical sciences, medical laboratory sciences, microbiology, Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture majors, wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology
• University of Maine students who will play baseball
• nontraditional University of Maine students
• UM students who are seeking French immersion learning experiences and those who study from Japan or in Japan
• Graduate fellowships, summer projects, honor societies and faculty support
• The SPIFFY endowment (Student Portfolio Investment Fund) and the School of Policy and International Affairs
• The Wilson Center and programs relating to Jewish history
• Recital halls, the School of Performing Arts, the Collins Center for the Arts, Buchanan Alumni House, the Page Farm and Home Museum, and the Alumni Association and its class funds, the Center for Poetry and Poetics, and Cooperative Extension outreach activities
• Worthy student-centered initiatives and groups that bring spirit to UM events

The impact that Charles F. Allen Legacy Society members have had on the present and will have on the future of the University and its affiliated organizations is extraordinary. It is clear that these legacies are going to make the University even stronger.

Many members of the Foundation staff are also members of the Society. McPartland-Good said that the staff believes in the power of planned gifts and the future of the University and its students. She thanked members for sharing those beliefs and letting the Foundation be a part of their legacies.