NCGPC Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award honors a planned giving, development or allied professional, or a volunteer leader in gift planning, with an exemplary record of service in the field. The award recipient exemplifies:

• demonstrated quality leadership in gift planning
• longevity in gift planning (a minimum of 5 years)
• specific achievements in promoting and securing planned gifts
• service to the gift planning profession, through participation in The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and/or NCGPC
• adherence to the Model Standards of Practice for the Charitable Gift Planner.

The National Capital Gift Planning Council (NCGPC) is proud to announce E. John McKee, Assistant Vice President for Planned Giving and Philanthropy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, as the 26th recipient of its Distinguished Service Award.

John began his over 20-year career in fundraising with both the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs, NY, and Gallaudet University, but it was at the University of Maryland College Park, where he spent the majority of his professional time, rising from Associate Director to Executive Director of Gift Planning. Over the course of his 16 years at College Park, John was a great mentor to both planned giving officers as well as the entirety of the major gift officer team. John was unique in the field as he made it a true priority to train major gift officers in everything from basic bequests to how to ask the right questions in order to ascertain a donor's readiness for the planned giving conversation. To further his work promoting planned giving whenever possible, John “deputized” as planned giving officers those major gifts professionals who had not only completed a planned giving training he designed, but also had demonstrated success in the field.

John has given back to the field at large by being a longtime member of both NCGPC and CGP. He is a frequent speaker at NCGPC monthly meetings. He has often presented at Planned Giving Days and served as Planned Giving Days Chair in 2005 and Track Dean in 2015. John has served on the NCGPC Board, and is also a member of the Chesapeake Planned Giving Council and Camotop, a group of experienced gift planning thought leaders.

We look forward to celebrating John’s well-deserved Distinguished Service Award selection during NCGPC’s Virtual Planned Giving Days 2021, Thursday, June 10, and Friday, June 11, 2021.

This year’s virtual planned giving days will also honor Jane Kolson, the 2020 Distinguished Service Award winner. Jane’s demonstrated leadership, record of achievements, and selfless service to the gift planning community throughout her 44-year development career has earned her the NCGPC’s highest honor.

Since 2005, Jane has served The George Washington University, formerly as Associate Vice President for Development and now as Senior Planned Giving Advisor and a development contact for the university’s Luther Brady Art Gallery, drawing on her expertise in gifts of artwork and tangible personal property. The university’s success is due in large part to Jane’s efforts to raise $30 million in planned gifts and bequest commitments, in addition to millions more in outright gifts. Jane builds long-term highly beneficial relationships with donors and is consistently in the top 10 GWU fundraisers every year.

Jane has long been active in the NCGPC serving with distinction as a two-term board member, secretary, PG Days committee member, and she did a tremendous job leading the educational programming as vice president of programs. Jane has also presented on a variety of topics, including gifts of real estate and gifts of tangible personal property – those gifts we all hope to work on and which could benefit from her expertise.

Interested in nominating a colleague? Make sure you are on our mailing list!