Jonelle C. Beck
CharitablePlanning.com Author
Biography
Jonelle serves as Executive Director of Estate & Gift Planning and Assistant General Counsel for Trusts & Estates at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. In her role as Executive Director, she oversees the planned giving department supporting three University campuses - Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco. Her team uses complex trusts and real estate gift structures to secure long-term gifts for the University. In her role as Assistant General Counsel for Trusts & Estates she manages and advises on open estate, trust and probate matters where the University is trustee and/or beneficiary.
Jonelle's previous experience includes 18 years in private practice handling estate planning, business and real estate matters. Jonelle has over 20 years of real estate experience and held a California Broker's License until 2013. She received her J.D. from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2000 and was admitted to the State of California Bar Association and the Order of Barristers that same year. Jonelle is a member of the San Joaquin County Bar Association, San Joaquin Estate Planning Council, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the Planned Giving Forum of Greater Sacramento. Additionally, Jonelle serves her community through membership on various boards and volunteer speaking engagements. Originally from Stockton, Jonelle enjoys living in her hometown with her husband and two children.
Accepting Complex Gifts of Real Estate: A Builder's Guide-
Our Real Estate Gift Acceptance Procedure Manual was born out of necessity. This article will cover each phase of the acceptance process using examples from the recent gift of a retained estate for a term of years. We will take participants step by step from the beginning (initial donor interaction or proposal) through the "finish-line" (recording the deed and beyond). Phase one, the introduction, will cover how to have and document clear and consistent communication with the donor throughout the entire transaction; phase two will define due diligence and explain the importance of receiving conditional acceptance from leadership; and the final phase explains how to successfully close the real estate gift. Significant focus will be given to the importance of continuous donor communication, the gathering of key information and documents using templates, the importance of due diligence including utilizing real estate professionals such as brokers, title companies and appraisers, as well as how to create an organizational work-flow chart and template documents.