The Florida Bar Foundation

The gift that gives back

January 2009
by Gabrielle Davis

Former Florida Bar Foundation president Rod Petrey has long been a supporter of the Foundation, but recently he signed on to a new giving program that will pay dividends on his generosity.

The first donor to establish a charitable gift annuity with the Foundation, Petrey now receives a steady lifetime income stream through the annuity, although his primary motivation was to help the Foundation continue its support of legal assistance for the poor.

"The Foundation is very near and dear to me," said Petrey, president of The Collins Center for Public Policy. "It does spectacularly good work for legal justice"

Tim Bachmeyer, the Foundation's director of major and planned giving, said donors who are passionate about an organization's mission still want to know that it will be a good steward of their contributions.
About 90 percent of the Foundation's total expenses go directly toward its grant programs, and the Foundation's careful stewardship has been able to ensure stable funding for its grantees even in the current economic climate.
Petrey knew he could be confident in the Foundation's wise use of his contribution.

"The funds are well invested and well supervised. You know it's going to be spent for very good works that are related to the legal profession and help lawyers fulfill duties to the community."

How it Works

A gift annuity allows a donor to give at least $10,000 to the Foundation and receive a fixed income for life based on the donor's age. The payout is guaranteed by the assets of the Foundation, and by its conservative investment policies.

Other benefits include the opportunity for a donor to:

• name himself and/or another person as the beneficiary, or name both as joint lifetime beneficiaries in the gift annuity.
• receive an upfront charitable income-tax deduction for a portion of the gift
• receive a portion of each payment tax-free.

For more information contact Tim Bachmeyer at (407) 843-0045 or tbachmeyer@flabarfndn.org