THE Port Adelaide Football Club has launched a formal Bequest Program, to enable passionate supporters to leave money to the club in their Will.
The club has also launched a new ‘Port Adelaide Forever Bequest Society’ to enable the club to personally thank those who tell the club they will be leaving a bequest.
Port Adelaide Chief Executive Mark Haysman says members of the Bequest Society will meet at regular luncheons and special events put on by the club. The inaugural 13 members of the Port Adelaide Forever Society were welcomed today at a lunch at The Port Club.
“Occasionally in the past I would receive a telephone call from a supporter who asked me how they might leave a bequest to the club and I didn’t really know what to say,” Mr Haysman said.
“It’s happened often enough for me to seek out ways to formalise how we might acknowledge and receive bequests through a special program, and it made me think we ought to be talking more openly about gifts made through Wills.
“We have also recognised that it is simply not good enough to receive bequests that virtually come to us by surprise and when it is too late to say ‘thank you’.
“We would rather know the wonderful people who plan to help us this way and be able to celebrate their support and thank them during their lifetime. That’s what the Port Adelaide Forever Bequest Society intends to do.”
Bequests received by the club will be invested into a future endowment fund, with the profits earned from the fund to be invested in capital equipment to help the development of future players.
The proceeds will also help fund the club’s highly respected community programs that bring healthy lifestyle messages to thousands of South Australian children. The club will not use proceeds from bequests to fund normal operations or player salaries and payments.
The club has appointed Maria Gelasakis as its Bequest Program and Bequest Society Manager.
“It is my job to answer questions and to be helpful to our long time passionate supporters on this subject. A bequest is an important form of giving to help develop the club we all love,” Maria says.
“Bequest Societies are in place in other countries and the network of donors who join together in this way enjoy being recognised as people who will ultimately make an important gift to the organisation they favour.
“In our case it doesn’t matter how much the amount is nor do we need to know the details of anyone’s Will. If people simply tell us they will be leaving a gift, we will be happy to recognise them as a ‘Port Adelaide Forever’ member.
“We also know there will always be some people who want to make a bequest to us privately, and we will only ever see the results of this in monies received after they pass away. We will be sad not to have been able to say ‘thank you’.”
Maria Gelasakis can be contacted at the club on (08) 8447 9907.
