12:00 - 1:00 pm ZOOM ONLY
Lunch and Presentation
ZOOM ONLY 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Topic: Why Wealthy Donors Don’t Give More
Moderator: Elliot Dole, CFP, Wealth Advisor - Buckingham Strategic Wealth
Elliot Dole will moderate a panel discussion which will address the question of wealthy donor giving habits. Learn from donors and their advisors why they may be hesitant to gift more of their wealth to their favorite organizations.
Panelist:
Deborah H. Godwin, Senior Director of Development, College of Arts & Sciences
-University of Missouri – St. Louis
Terry Freerks, Ph.D., Philanthropist and Executive Director - Clayton Shaw Park Swim Team.
Stan Freerks, is the retired Area President of Arthur J. Gallagher’s division, Risk Placement Services, Inc. (RPS), a property and casualty insurance wholesaler and previously owned his own insurance firm, S.A. Freerks & Associates, Inc.
Bios:
Elliot Dole Wealth Advisor – Buckingham Strategic Wealth
Elliot Dole is a Certified Financial Planner professional whose practice is centered around clients’ needs and dreams. Elliot possesses specialized knowledge in investments, estate planning and specifically taxation, having earned a master’s degree in this area. He is particularly adept at helping clients who are looking to build charitable legacies, establish wealth transfers to heirs, or plan a business succession.
Elliot has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, an MBA from the University of New Orleans, Certificate of Financial Planning from Boston University, and a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University. He is a member of the board of directors of the Estate Planning Council of Saint Louis, a member of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC), is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, an Enrolled
Deborah H. Godwin
Deborah Godwin is an experienced fundraising professional with 30 years of senior management and development experience. Her areas of expertise include major and planned giving; government, foundation and corporate support; strategic planning; board development and financial planning for nonprofit organizations and affiliated foundations. Currently, she serves as the Senior Director of Development for the College of Arts & Sciences at University of Missouri – St. Louis where she played a key role in the institution’s $167 million Campaign for Greatness. Previously she served as the founding Executive Director of the St. Louis Community College Foundation where she helped lead transformational growth for the District.
She is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and previously a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) where she was a frequent facilitator and presenter at AGB’s national conferences.
In the community she is a member of the Board of Directors for the Incarnate Word Foundation and chairs the grant committee. She also serves as a Trustee of the Board of Directors of the Silk Foundation and is a member of the Saint Louis Club Board of Directors. Deborah is a graduate of Focus St. Louis’ Leadership St. Louis program and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
Deborah lives in St. Louis and enjoys travel, cooking, music and cycling.
Terry and Stan Freerks
Terry and Stan Freerks are among the University’s most acclaimed alumni volunteers and donors. Their engagement and financial support touches nearly every area of the University from athletics and business to the humanities and nursing. Terry is a retired licensed professional counselor and a marital and family therapist as well as the Executive Director Emeritus of the CSP Tideriders swim team. She graduated from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Secondary Education in 1979. Later she received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Saint Louis University. Stan Freerks earned his bachelor’s degree in History and Economics from Cornell University in 1974 and his master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 1992. He is the retired Area President of Arthur J. Gallagher’s division, Risk Placement Services, Inc. (RPS), a property and casualty insurance wholesaler and previously owned his own insurance firm, S.A. Freerks & Associates, Inc.
As a couple, Terry and Stan have served the University in several leadership capacities. Terry has been a member of the Chancellor’s Council since 2012, Chair of the College of Arts & Sciences Leadership Council since 2010 and a member of the College of Nursing’s Capital Campaign Committee. Stan is equally engaged as a member of the College of Business Administration Leadership Council since 2011 and the College of Business Administration Phase II Campaign Committee. Both have received several University awards and most recently were honored with the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020.
When asked during a recent interview on HEC’s Media Spotlight Program about the couples’ philanthropy and commitment to St. Louis, Terry remarked, “What I really care about is expanding opportunities and encouraging education…It goes back to quality of life and if people are educated, then they have more opportunities and are able to recognize them better.” In recognition of their extraordinary philanthropy and volunteerism, the University bestowed its highest honor, the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Medal for Philanthropy to Terry and Stan in 2016.