When Scott Rollin's father, Tom, died of lung cancer in 1992, he wanted to do something to fight back against the disease. First he became an American Cancer Society volunteer, giving his time to raise funds for the cause through the Society's golf program. But it wasn't long before Rollin, who owns Managing Compensation Resources in Edina, Minnesota, was considering making a financial gift to the Society.

“As I got more involved, I learned about the programs and available resources that the ACS has for survivors and patients and families,” he said. “That opened my eyes to other ways to be involved.”

Rollin quickly became a strong supporter of the Society's Hope Lodge® program. He was impressed with Hope Lodge and the free lodging and support it offers to cancer patients and their families. He also saw the Hope Lodge as an excellent example of the Society's mission to save lives and improve the quality of life of those touched by cancer. “The more I learned about Hope Lodge, the more I liked the idea,” he said. “I thought it was a great opportunity.” As voluntary chairman of the Minneapolis Hope Lodge fundraising campaign, Rollin has helped raise $7 million for the Hope Lodge, which began construction in September 2006.

But Rollin also wanted to make his own financial gift to Hope Lodge. Thanks to the Society's planned gift program, he was able to make a significant contribution by donating a life insurance policy. “Everybody thinks about cash today and that certainly is important,” Rollin said. “But a gift like this can help with the endowment to run a Hope Lodge and it's a great way for people who don't have the means to give cash today to get involved in a fairly substantial way.”

“He's been a long time volunteer,” said Bette Forberg, director of Estate and Asset Services in the Society's Planned Giving Business Unit. “Because of his age and the age of his family, he decided to make a planned gift. It was made as part of his estate plan. It was a way for him to support the Hope Lodge, which he truly believed in. He really wanted to make a significant gift but the easiest way for him to do it was through a planned gift.”

According to Forberg, young people and people at mid-career are attracted to planned gifts because the program allows them to make significant contributions. “This gives people who are still building their estates an opportunity to make a long-term commitment,” she said. “It's a way to make a commitment and to provide long-range support at a higher level than you might be able to make while you're living. You leave a legacy. And what a wonderful legacy to leave; to help people that you may never meet but who will benefit for years to come.”

Planned giving not only benefits the Society's lifesaving mission, but also the donor in many cases. “Many times, younger people name us as a beneficiary of their IRAs or other pension plans,” Forberg said. “It's a very easy way to make a gift of significance. Not only are they helping others through their planned gift, but in some cases, they also retrieve some tax benefits.”