Running a Non-Profit Charity The Piper Trust w/ Steve Zabilski - BRT S04 EP27 (190) 7-9-2023

Running a Non-Profit Charity The Piper Trust w/ Steve Zabilski

- BRT S04 EP27 (190) 7-9-2023

What We Learned This Week:

• Virginia G. Piper Trust - Virginia & husband Bob Galvin (founder Motorola) created in 2000
• Charity Grants application process
• Investment to grow Trust Fund of $400m
• Phx Dream Ctr staff are largely made up of former victims giving back
• St Vincent helps the Homeless Population In Phx
• A for Arizona celebrates educators

 

Guest: Stephen J. Zabilski, President & CEO

https://pipertrust.org/about-us/officers-and-staff/

As President and CEO, Steve Zabilski leads Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust’s mission to enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County. Steve joins Piper Trust as its fourth CEO after providing more than 17 years of dedicated service as a Trustee and member of the organization’s Investment and Audit Committees.

For the past 25 years, Steve served as CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul—Phoenix Diocesan Council. His decades of private sector experience, coupled with his talent to lead with compassion and humility, continue to make an indelible mark on this community. Steve’s ability to bring people together and catalyze the strengths of thousands of Vincentians, volunteers, employees, and donors significantly advanced the mission and services of St. Vincent de Paul.

 

During Steve’s tenure, St. Vincent de Paul’s health clinic space doubled, enabling treatment for many more people; dining rooms served meals 365 days a year; three urban farms were installed that provide scores of food-insecure people with fresh produce daily; and, a transitional shelter and resource center was established. Further, the St. Vincent de Paul community created an inspiring environment where people find purpose and joy through myriad volunteer opportunities. St. Vincent de Paul received a President George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award in 2001 for having one of the most family-friendly volunteer programs in the country.

Prior positions include senior vice president with Transamerica Insurance Group and audit manager for the accounting firm KPMG (formerly Peat Marwick). Steve is a member of the board of trustees of St. Vincent de Paul and Great Hearts Arizona. He is a past member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the FBI Citizen’s Academy and has served as president of the board of trustees of Ville de Marie Academy among several school and parish advisory councils. Steve was honored by Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business with a Colangelo Servant Leadership Award in January 2023.

 

History of Piper Trust

Philanthropy and Vision

The wife of Motorola founder Paul V. Galvin, Virginia Galvin Piper sought to follow her husband’s philanthropic example by establishing a charitable legacy of her own. “For me,” she wrote, “managing the stewardship of charitable giving is a moment-to-moment dignified responsibility of a truly high calling in human affairs and human relations.”

·        For the last three decades of her life Mrs. Piper lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona, where she moved from Chicago with her second husband, Kenneth M. Piper. During that time she worked quietly and steadily at strengthening Phoenix-area nonprofits.

·        Mrs. Piper established the Trust in 1995 and appointed four lifetime trustees to oversee the work of the foundation. Shortly after Mrs. Piper’s death in 1999 the trustees began the formal work of the Trust.

·        Upon settlement of Mrs. Piper’s estate in 2000 the Trust received approximately $600 million. This sum made the Trust one of the nation’s 100 largest foundations.

 

Devotedly, Virginia: The Life of Virginia Galvin Piper 

compiles over 100 interviews with people who knew Mrs. Piper.

 

Grantmaking

·        In December 2000 a select group of organizations, which Mrs. Piper had supported over the years, received from the trustees eight Cornerstone Grants. These grants totaled $41 million.

·        February 2002 saw trustees award the first round of competitive grants, which totaled $11.5 million, to 68 organizations.

·        Each year nonprofits serving the people of Maricopa County receive an average of $25 million from Piper Trust. Since the Trust began awarding grants in 2000, it has invested more than $684 million in local nonprofits and programs as of as of July 2022.

 

 

 

Notes: 

Seg. 1  

History of the Trust 

Steve Zabilski bio and past work at St. Vincent

Was on the board at Piper Trust, now on the board at St. Vincent 

Investment portfolio of $400 mil, fiduciary responsibility to grow funds

Per non-profit rules, IRS Code 5013C, must give away 5% of the fund per year, or $20 mil + other expenses of Trust 

Prudent investments of stocks, bonds, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, some alternative investments

Some funds, investment is illiquid, cannot get funds easily

Work with 1 financial group who oversees the fund

 

 

Seg. 2   

In 2020, Covid hit organizations hard, and difficult to get donations

Higher education grants, ex. – Creighton University, built med school in Phoenix

Only donate to business in Maricopa County

Health and medical research – ASU, TGen

Senior needs and older adults – food assistance, St. Vincent homeless shelter

Boys & Girls Club, Boys Hope & Girls Hope, High School orgs

Board Meeting every month, lasts 3 hours and is very involved

Financial statement review, investment portfolio update

Program Updates – who to fund, how much, is it a multi-year grant

Chronicle of Philanthropy news

Audit Committee- internal controls, Mgmt letters

Finance Committee  

Breakfast meeting monthly

  

Seg. 3

Special Day in Sep. 2021 – donated $123 mil, average donation in a year, 5% or $20 mil

From April 2020 to June 2021, fund had grown $123 mil, made decision to give away 100% of funds, Sep. 2021 met with 71 charities, had long term donations and make the $123m donation, unrestricted funds, charities could use the $ for whatever they needed 

Restricted Funds – when a donation is for a specific purpose or project, building a center, etc.  

 

Grant Cycle – App process, FAQ on website 

https://pipertrust.org/grant-process/faq/

Q: What does Piper Trust fund?

A: Piper Trust makes grants to projects that intervene in the following areas:

·        Arts and Culture

·        Children

·        Education

·        Healthcare and Medical Research

·        Older Adults

·        Religious Organizations

Piper Trust’s particular interest lies with projects that benefit young children, adolescents and older adults in Maricopa County. The Trust makes grants to faith-based organizations that serve these target populations in a manner consistent with program guidelines.

 

Q: What types of organizations does Piper Trust fund?

A: Piper Trust makes grants to actively operating Section 501(c)(3) organizations in Maricopa County. These organizations must have been in operation for at least three years from the effective date of their IRS ruling.  Special rules apply to private foundations and 509(a)(3)(Type III) organizations.

 

 

Letter of Inquiry, then Submit application for review:

Q’s and decision process, must meet guidelines, longer process for new request, due diligence, how org runs, check paperwork, financials, tax returns, confirm status of 5013C, internal reviews, need budgets and plan for money take 2 months

 

Piper Trust has ongoing relationships with charities, where grant process can be quicker, usually donates to same org every other year 

Multiyear Grant – could be ongoing donation

 

Seg. 4 – Charity Show Flashback 

BRT Holiday Show – We Give Thanks & Give Back

- BRT S02 EP 46 (93) 11-14-21

 

Guest: Steve Zabilski, Executive Director of St Vincent DePaul
https://www.stvincentdepaul.net/about/our-board
Homeless Population in Phx Struggling and How to Help
Help to Feed, Clothe, House, Heal those who need it most

 

Things We Learned This Week:

·         St Vincent DePaul helps feed and clothe the homeless population 

·         St Vincent also provides financial assistance to families in need, and has clinics on site

·         MAM is helping the average military family get by

·         Hope & A Future helps foster kids find a brighter future 

·         A for Arizona is working with teachers who are improving education

 

 

Steve Zabilski has served as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Executive Director since 1997. Prior positions include senior vice president with Transamerica Insurance Group and audit manager for the accounting firm KPMG LLC.

Steve Zabilski embodies the philosophy of serving those in need. And appropriately, he is well-situated to live out those precepts of charity as CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) Phoenix, where he oversees the day-to-day operation of the organization’s 250 employees and thousands of volunteers throughout Arizona. 

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is dedicated to feeding, clothing, housing and healing individuals and families in our community who have nowhere else to turn for help. As important, SVdP provides meaningful opportunities for volunteers to serve their neighbors in need with love and compassion.

 

Phoenix Dream Center – from 7/18/2021, Seg. 2

Guest: Michelle Tipton, Public Relations/ Volunteer Coordinator, Phoenix Dream Center

https://phoenixdreamcenter.org/

https://phoenixdreamcenter.org/story/

https://phoenixdreamcenter.org/kfnx/ - to help & donate, tax deductible

The problem of Human Traffic is a bigger issue than most people realize.

 

Emily Anne Gullickson, CEO of A for Arizona - www.aforarizona.org

As employers, innovators, and investors in the future, we remain committed to ensuring business leaders stay engaged as education champions. We aim to continue to educate and build wider support from the business community on the ambitious, aggressive, and comprehensive education reform possibilities designed from the needs and best practices of Arizona’s exceptional educators

 

Full Show: HERE

 

 

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