(bright music) (bright music continues) (uplifting music) - Hello, and welcome to "WTVP Now."

I'm Jen Gordon, president and CEO here at WTVP.

Every day, your support helps WTVP share local stories, spark curiosity, and connect our community.

Today, we're talking about how you can help us carry that work into the future.

October is National Estate Planning Month, and joining me is Audrey Kamm, our chief development officer.

We'll explore how thoughtful planning can reflect what matters most to you, as well as share some exciting updates about our Stronger Together campaign.

Audrey, thank you so much for joining us for this.

- Great to be here.

(Jen laughing) Thanks.

- Now, when you first told me that October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month, I was like, "You've got to be kidding.

This is a thing?"

But it is a thing.

- [Audrey] It is a thing.

- And it's also a really important thing.

Now, when I hear the word estate planning, it can sound kind of scary and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be, right?

- Sure.

Absolutely.

So, I mean, estate planning, put simply, is preparing for the future, putting plans in place for how your affairs should be handled, where you want things to go, who you want to be involved, and to make decisions for yourself while you still can and before you pass away.

So it's also not just for, you know, a lot of times you think, "Oh, that's something that you do at the end of life, that's for when you're much older or maybe that's only for super wealthy people."

- Yeah, I think that's what crosses my mind.

Like, if you're a Vanderbilt, maybe you need to have an estate plan, but for the everyday, average, normal person living in Central Illinois, you're saying it's still important to have an... - Yeah.

- estate plan?

- Yes.

And so all you're doing is you're providing clarity for people that you love about your wishes and intentions and being able to do that while you still can.

- That's fantastic.

So we know that it's important, and we know that anyone can do it, that it matters.

But, like, for people who've never thought about estate planning, and I think there are a lot of us, right?

Never thought... - Yeah.

about estate planning, like, what are the practical next steps or first steps that you need to take to start this journey?

- Yeah, sure.

I mean, the good news is that it actually doesn't have to be complicated.

It's not, like... It doesn't have to be starting with this huge stack of papers and legal documents.

You know, the first step is really just thinking about the people you care about, the causes you care about, and if something happened to you, who you would want to help make those decisions on your behalf.

- So, can I pause... - Yeah.

- and interrupt?

How does it differ from a will?

- Yeah.

So, a will is a part of an estate plan.

- [Jen] There you go.

Okay.

- And there are many different facets that go into an estate plan.

So there are many different things you want to think about.

And honestly, those things are kind of, I don't want to say fun to think about, but interesting to think about because it is showing you what you really care about and it's making sure that you can feel secure about if something were to ever happen to you, what will happen?

- Yeah.

Okay.

Well, what do you think is the most fun part about estate planning?

(both laughing) Since you brought up an element of fun.

(laughs) - I mean, I think it's just... It reminds you of what's important to you.

- Okay, okay, sure.

- Right?

And so you have conversations with people that you care about.

- [Jen] Yeah.

- You know, like, for my husband and I, we have kids.

And so being able to have those conversations with people, like, "If something were to happen to us, would you be willing to take our kids?"

And having those types of conversations so that you know, you know, you can feel secure, because, I mean, life isn't always... - Predictable.

- Predictable.

Exactly.

- You never know what's going to happen.

- [Audrey] Yeah.

- That's fascinating.

So people who are going through this process, regardless of the age, often have just a sense of, like, security and just a feeling of confidence about what's going to happen after they're gone.

- Absolutely.

And then I think it's just a matter of starting to have those conversations.

And then once you feel like you have somewhat of a plan in mind, then that's when you would want to talk to someone, like a legal advisor or a lawyer, about really just solidifying those on paper.

But it's not as overwhelming once you've already had those conversations.

- Okay.

So you make, kind of, your list of things, you feel confident about how you want things to play out, and then you seek out legal advice and kind of start having more of the formal... - Exactly.

documenting.

- Exactly.

Yeah.

- That's great.

Okay.

So now we're going to, kind of, transition into talking about the importance of estate planning as it comes to the non-for-profit landscape, because this is actually an incredibly important facet for not-for-profit health.

- Very important.

Tremendously important.

So many organizations that everyone knows, hospitals, schools, charities, arts organizations, organizations like WTVP, we have benefited from gifts where donors choose to include WTVP in their plans.

- Yeah.

- And so for non-profits, oftentimes those types of gifts are transformational.

You know?

And they allow donors to make a very important, large charitable gift, probably one of the biggest of their life.

And that leaves a legacy then for that organization and that that mission can continue for many, many years to come.

- And I'm thinking, obviously we're not going to say any names, but I'm thinking of last year at WTVP, which last year was a very unique year for us.

And we had an estate plan gift that came through very meaningful.

I think it was, like, $30,000 or something from someone who during their lifetime gave $100 a year.

- Exactly.

- And we all kind of, you know, stood back and went, "Oh my goodness, WTVP really meant something to them."

- Absolutely.

And that's what's so great is that by giving this type of gift, you're saying, "This mission matters to me.

WTVP matters to me.

The future of education for our kids matters to me.

The future of programming in Central Illinois matters to me."

And so that is something that's super meaningful for us.

Anyone, regardless of the types of gifts that they have left to us, regular donors, anyone can make WTVP or any organization a part of their estate plan.

And that is a super meaningful thing for that organization.

- And I would think that also could be meaningful for the other beneficiaries of that estate.

- Oh, exactly.

Yes.

- Yeah.

So, let's talk a little bit specifically about WTVP and the Legacy Society.

Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

- Yeah, absolutely.

So, we do have what's called The Legacy Society, as you referred to.

So The Legacy Society, it recognizes individuals and families who have either previously passed on and left WTVP in their will or indicated that they will want to in the future leave WTVP in their will or have cumulatively given $100,000 over their lifetime.

- Okay.

So there's a couple of different on-ramps into joining The Legacy Society.

- Yes.

- Even if you've just made your plans to include WTVP in your estate, you could be part of The Legacy Society.

- Yes.

- [Jen] Okay.

- And... - No, go ahead, Audrey.

(both laughing) - Okay.

So I think that's one thing that people maybe don't realize is that they can let charities know if they intend to leave them in their will.

And that does a couple of things.

First of all, it allows us to thank the donor and recognize them while they're still living.

And then it also allows them to, you know, feel good about the fact that their legacy is going to live on and we can kind of celebrate that together before they pass on.

- I love that.

So, for WTVP, what are the practical steps of joining The Legacy... I can't even say that.

(Audrey laughing) Oh my goodness.

- It's kind of a hard one.

Let me try it one more time.

Legacy Society.

There we go.

- So we try to make it as easy as possible.

You know, we actually have a form on our website where people can let us know that they've done that.

They can call the station and let us know.

And if they want to take the formal step of making a letter of intent with a lawyer, which is a very, it's nothing like a will, it's very easy.

that is a way that we can then recognize them and their future gift.

- Super simple.

- Super simple.

- And super important for an organization like WTVP.

I'd be remiss, Audrey, if I did not, you know, if we didn't talk about the state of public media, which has been through a seismic shift, a historic shift since federal funding was taken away in 2025.

And we're so excited about where we are, but these gifts matter more now than ever.

So let's talk about the Stronger Together campaign and where we're at.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So like you said, we are now 100% community funded and we're super proud of that.

Thanks to our viewers, our donors, our members, our corporate supporters, you know, last year, this community stepped up in a huge way.

So through the former We Believe in WTVP campaign, they not only filled that funding gap of a million dollars that we lost from federal funding, but they helped make us, you know, the strongest that we've been in years financially, including paying off our mortgage.

- [Jen] Oh, so exciting.

- Yes.

And allowing us to do new things, allowing us to hire new staff, allowing us to do new programming.

And so we're really trying to steward those dollars that have been given to us through the We Believe campaign and exponentially make that more.

And so now we have launched the Stronger Together campaign, and that is both a... It's a gratitude towards our community, saying thank you for standing with us, but also a call to action because we know that this isn't over yet.

This is not a one time we need to fill the bucket.

This is a- - And every year we need to fill the bucket.

- Yes, this is a... We are 100% community funded, and as far as we know, that's how it's going to be into the future.

- [Jen] Yeah.

- And so, you know, our goal is to raise $600,000 in additional gifts.

So that is above and beyond what we did last year in that banner year.

We're trying to gain new donors, trying to inspire people to give more.

And I am so happy to report that that campaign is going great.

So we have so far in the first three months of the campaign, about a quarter of the way through, raised $140,000.

- [Jen] All right.

- Which is almost exactly (Jen applauding) a quarter of the way to 600,000.

- That's phenomenal.

- And we have welcomed 522 new donors.

- 500.

That's so great, Audrey.

I love that.

- Yes.

So we're very excited about that.

And, you know, this really says WTVP is here to stay.

This community cares about WTVP.

It cares about what we're doing, and we're just here to steward this place in what we've been given.

- Yeah, and to clarify kind of a little bit with that Stronger Together component, 600,000 new dollars in new donors and above and beyond gifts.

So with the We Believe campaign, we made it significantly through that year because of some very large single-time gifts that we received that maybe we can't expect to receive every year.

But we also were able to bring in last year 2,500 new donors.

And I mean, we're looking to do the same thing this year because we know that in the future we need new sustaining members, you know?

Every one of those monthly sustaining members who gives $10, $20, $30, $40 a month, that's going to be building out that road to sustainability for us that I know I'm excited about.

- Yeah.

I mean, I think you hit the nail on the head.

Sustaining donors are what we really need, and we've seen a bump and an increase in that.

So in addition to those large gifts last year, we saw an increase in sustaining donors, but we need that trend to continue.

- The trend to continue.

(laughs) - And so we're excited about where the future of WTVP is headed with all of the people in our community on board.

- Yeah, absolutely.

And I love that with estate plans, it's another opportunity, again, for someone who, you know, maybe they're never going to be able to give more than $10 a month to the station, but they want to make a long-lasting impact on WTVP and Central Illinois for years to come.

And there's a way to do that.

- 100%.

And we see that all the time, and that is what is so great about that option.

- That's fantastic.

Okay.

Before we wrap things up, development team, which you lead, you guys have some fun things coming up.

Let's talk about "40 Leaders."

- Yes, "40 Leaders Under 40," a beloved program for many, many years in our community, is back again... - Yay.

- for the 43rd year.

And.... - Wow.

(laughs) - Yes.

(laughs) And we are excited to launch that.

So we have nominations out right now, and people can go to wtvp.tv/40leaders.

Those nominations are due on October 25th.

And we're already so excited about the momentum that that has brought.

We've already had many people turn those submissions in, so we know that there's a lot of excitement about this event.

- Wonderful.

Audrey, it's been so great to catch up.

- Thanks, Jen.

(Jen laughing) - And thank you for spending a little time with us... - No.

- today.

Darn it.

I need to look at there.

(Audrey laughing) - [Todd] That's it.

But what I'm going to have you do... Take black.

- Okay.

But also I messed something up.

It's not the 43rd year of "40 Leaders Under 40."

- I was surprised, I was like, (Audrey laughing) "I didn't know that."

- [Audrey] I think it's the 30th.

I don't know.

I actually don't know.

- [Todd] Okay.

- [Audrey] Can we take that out?

- [Todd] What I'm going to have to do, let's just do this.

Jen, look at Audrey and then... It's take one.

- Yep.

- [Todd] I want you to go, "And Audrey, you've got some exciting things coming up.

I want you to talk about that."

- Okay.

- Okay.

- All right.

Great.

Thanks, Todd.

- [Todd] Yep.

- And Audrey, you have some exciting things coming up.

Let's talk a little bit about that.

- Yeah.

So, "40 Leaders Under 40" is just around the corner.

It's a longstanding Peoria tradition, Central Illinois tradition, really, where we recognize young leaders and what they're doing in the community.

So those nominations are currently out.

You can go to our website at wtvp.tv/40, the number, leaders and submit your nomination.

And we're so excited around the excitement for this event already.

We've already seen so many nominations come in, and we know that it's going to be a great year for this program.

So those nominations are due by October 25th.

So if anyone knows a young leader, they should submit those.

- Fantastic.

Audrey, thank you so much.

- You're welcome.

(Jen laughing) - And thank you for spending a little time with us, whether you're supporting WTVP today or considering a future gift through your estate, you're helping keep local stories and lifelong learning available to everyone.

Visit wtvp.org (uplifting music) to learn more or to connect with our development team.

We'd love to hear what WTVP means to you and keep exploring ways that we can make a difference.

I'm Jen Gordon.

On behalf of all of us here at WTVP, thanks for watching.

(uplifting music continues) (uplifting music continues) (bright music)