Among his long list of job responsibilities as executive director of our Long Island Community Foundation, David Okorn includes matchmaking. Not The Bachelor reality-show kind, but helping Long Islanders find ongoing ways to express their passion for the causes dear to them.
“Talking with potential donors,” Okorn said, “is one of the most exciting things about my work. Everyone’s philanthropy is different and it’s often based on their life experiences and values. I see us as matchmakers between people looking to give money to charity, and the charities that are on the front lines addressing the issues.”
Discussions about values
Often these heartfelt discussions about people’s values start in the offices of professional advisors when clients talk about how to make plans for their estate. Okorn said trusts and estate attorneys and wealth advisors value these conversations and the involvement of Trust staff.
“It’s a big part of why professional advisors like working with us,” Okorn said. “They get to know their clients on a much deeper level. They learn about what these individuals are passionate about.”
Legal and financial professionals are happy to discover a new tool for their estate-planning toolkit. While someone writing a will might approach them with the idea of leaving a one-time gift to a nonprofit, Okorn said, professional advisors might say: “That’s great. That’s one way to do it, but another way is through a community foundation—and then you’ll have someone looking after your interests long after you’re gone, so your charitable intent is carried out the way you want.”
Learning about Long Island
To keep professional advisors abreast of developments in their fields, our Long Island affiliate holds events twice a year where they can receive continuing education credits while also hearing from a local nonprofit helping Long Islanders.
“For many folks,” Okorn said of the nonprofit presentations, “it is kind of eye opening. Many people will say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know there were 300,000 people on Long Island who regularly have to worry about being able to feed themselves and their families.’ Or they won’t know that there is a huge mental-health crisis among our young people. Often they think, ‘Oh, that’s somewhere else, that’s not here.’”
Through all these interactions, Okorn said, professional advisors learn about the breadth and depth of his team’s expertise. “What happens is once we work with an advisor, they see how we help their clients achieve their philanthropic goals. It helps strengthen their relationship with their client.”
Learn more about giving with The Trust.