JAVS Fall 2023

Development Corner

LET’S TALK ABOUT LEGACY: The Established Career Professional by Tom Tatton

Let’s picture a millennial with an established career and a significant other, maybe a couple of youngsters. This picture is complete with a home and mortgage, all the appropriate insurance in place, an emergency fund, retirement savings underway, a 529 plan for the youngsters and enough resources to occasionally go out to eat and take a vacation. 1 Could this be you? So, what now? It is not selfish or egotistical to think about your legacy. It is quite normal, as a matter of fact. And your legacy is more complicated than simply leaving someone or some entity money. It is about creating memorable possibilities and opportunities for others: the same opportunities and possibilities you enjoyed in your formative years. It is about enhancing the quality of your current life story by giving to those who will appreciate it even when they do not know your name! It is this time in life where one begins to ask some questions, like: 1. Where did the scholarship money come from that I appreciated at the time? 2. Was I gracious enough to thank the people who provided opportunity for me? 3. Can I return the “favors” by providing opportunities for others? 4. Just what is my responsibly to my profession and how do I fulfill that responsibility? Now let’s look at some answers to the above questions and avenues our millennial has in dealing with these inevitable questions: 1. The scholarship money awarded or money to pay the fee of the All-State Orchestra director, e.g., most likely came from people like you and me. People gave to provide opportunities to youngsters not unlike your younger self.

2. We will never know the cadre of people who stuffed the music folders, ushered at the competition, or chaperoned on the youth symphony tour. There are literally hundreds of people just like you and me who perform these crucial but “behind the scenes” responsibilities. 3. Of course! However, here the picture gets a little cloudy; there are countless ways one can return the “favors.” You too can be a chaperone, perhaps for your own child’s youth symphony tour. But there are many other ways to consider. Perhaps, at AVS enrollment time you can upgrade your membership to the Contributing, Patron or Benefactor level. 2 Or, you can help perpetuate a program that is meaningful to you: the Primrose Memorial Scholarship Fund, the David Dalton Research Competition, the Commissioning Project, or the Maurice Gardner Competition. This is a great time in your career to think about creating a Giving Circle, where a few colleagues banding together can make a huge difference. Or perhaps it is to your advantage to create a Donor Advised Fund. If you need some information about either creating a Giving Circle or a Donor Advised Fund contact ann.marie.brink@ americanviolasociety.org. 4. It is natural and healthy to give back to your profession. Do you have time to participate in a leadership position? Do you have some special skill you could share such as photography or writing (take a look at list of Department Editors in JAVS ? Perhaps you can contribute to one of those topics)—just check in with Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc, the current Editor. Do you have an article that’s floating around in your head? Perhaps you would like to share the gist of a paper or dissertation you wrote. These are only a few

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 39, No. 2, Fall 2023