How WILLpower works in your community

Who we are

WILLpower is a nonprofit community collaborative founded in 1997. Its mission is twofold: to broaden the base of charitable dollars available to the Greater Rochester, NY community, and to increase funds available for community-wide use through planned giving and organized philanthropy. WILLpower is available to present options for charitable giving, and to raise awareness of how the power of giving can nurture our local communities.

The Advertising Council of Rochester has been an instrumental partner in the development and ongoing activities of WILLpower, through its sizable contribution of professional advertising and communications expertise.

WILLpower is a program of the Grantmakers Forum of New York. It was started by community volunteers and is run by a taskforce of community leaders:

 

What we do

The availability of charitable dollars affects the delivery of a wide range of services in our community—from the arts and humanities, education and youth, community development, healthcare and human services. WILLpower was formed to increase charitable giving in our community, to:

• Encourage nonprofit organizations and professional advisors to raise the possibility of charitable giving with their donors and clients.

• Conduct public surveys to measure planned giving in our area.

• Provide multi-media public service advertising to raise awareness.

• Supply planned giving materials for individual and group use.

• Maintain a Speakers Bureau as a free service in the Rochester area, to provide experienced and knowledgeable speakers who can discuss planned giving topics.

As a free resource, WILLpower works to promote the benefits—personal and public—of planned giving and organized philanthropy.

By using the power of planned giving through their estates, along with the expertise of nonprofit professionals and financial advisors, Rochester-area residents can expand nonprofit capacity to meet our community's needs, while building in personal tax benefits—now and in the future.

Who we serve

WILLpower serves:

• Individuals.

• Nonprofits of all sizes.

• Professional advisors (lawyers, CPAs, financial and estate planners).

• Businesses (through company giving programs).

• Special interest groups (clubs and other member organizations).

Many local organizations, ranging from United Way of Greater Rochester and the Al Sigl Center, to the Seneca Park Zoo, WXXI, GeVa Theatre and Camp Good Days and Special Times, have incorporated elements of the WILLpower theme into their planned giving work. And they've already experienced the benefits, through additional gifts from donors large and small.

WILLpower's funders 

WILLpower was partially supported through a generous national grant from New Ventures in Philanthropy, a program of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers. The program is currently supported by local funders.

In addition, the following individuals, companies and organizations have provided funding for WILLpower since its inception:

• Anonymous donor 

• Nancy & Joseph Briggs Fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation

• Charter One

• Jill Cicero & Associates

• Citigroup

• Fleet Investment Services

• Golisano Foundation

• Harter, Secrest and Emery LLP

• HSBC

• Halcyon Hill Foundation

• Louis P. And Betty A. Iacona Fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation

• JFK Communications

• Jewish Community Federation

• Rochester Area Community Foundation

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

• St. Mary's Foundation (now Unity Health Foundation)

• Killian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Foundation

• Richard and Vicki Schwartz Family Fund of the RACF

• United Way of Greater Rochester

• Unity Health Foundation