Events

September Chapter Lunch Program - "Preserving Your Legacy: The Gift that Lives On" with Sharon Harrington, JD, CFRE from Novant Health Foundation

Talking with Donors about Useful Gift Ideas and Options at Appropriate Life Stages Major Gift Officers' Skill Set

Gift planning has become part of major gift fundraising at many large nonprofits. But do major gift officers (MGOs) know how to pivot the conversation to gift planning when a donor says "no" to a cash gift?

In this one-hour luncheon, Sharon Harrington, JD, CFRE, Novant Health Foundation, marries common donor objections with tangible suggestions that MGOs can provide to get donors thinking about a planned gift. Those gift plans may include using appreciated stock, real estate, outright gifts like the IRA charitable rollover, a percentage designation on a retirement plan, or even a charitable trust to provide for a spouse or children.

Bio:
Sharon Harrington, JD, CFRE, has served as the Vice President for Novant Health Foundation since 2018. With more than 25 years' experience in philanthropy, she is a senior development professional and provides executive leadership in philanthropy for Novant Health Foundation a network of six regional foundations that engage and connect donors to Novant Health programs and initiatives that save lives and improve the health of the communities we serve.  The regional foundations focus on critical needs in the areas of infants and children, cancer, heart and vascular, stroke and neurosciences and research and education.

Prior to joining Novant Health, Sharon served in philanthropy leadership roles with Davidson College, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University.  She also served as the founding Executive Director of Reading Partners Charlotte, overseeing the startup and growth phase of the organization throughout the Charlotte region. Her wide-ranging professional experience spans many functional areas, including gift planning,  major gifts, capital and comprehensive campaigns, annual giving, and special events. Before transitioning to her development career, Sharon worked as an attorney with a national public interest law firm and in several governmental roles in New Orleans and Charlotte, specializing in environmental regulatory issues, policies and programs