Tasia Bade gives $1 million to demystify planned giving

A formerly anonymous donor to IU Health Foundation has decided to make her latest gift public, to inspire her children and her peers — especially other women — to make thoughtful decisions about their philanthropic legacy.

Tasia Bade, a member of IU Health Foundation’s All the Difference campaign cabinet, recently committed to a planned gift through her will of $1 million to support IU Health’s workforce development efforts. “I’m being intentional about helping others,” said Bade.

She’s also being intentionally transparent.

Planned gifts are often arranged by an estate planner and the donor behind closed doors; only one in three such gifts are known to the nonprofit recipient prior to the donor’s passing.

Bade has decided that’s a missed opportunity. She chose to be completely open about the gift as a philanthropy lesson for her two children and as a tutorial for others on how to structure a planned gift for maximum impact.

Bade's contribution will be matched by IU Health, and that opportunity for greater impact is what piqued Bade’s interest. “I wanted to donate to IU Health because of the thought leadership the organization has put into how the match is structured,” she said.

Matching funds of $1 million are invested as soon as the gift agreement is signed. Because Bade is making this decision at age 40 – younger than many planned giving donors – the interest returned on IU Health’s match could add up to well over another million dollars. Upon her passing many years from now, Bade estimates her $1 million gift will likely have created an additional $1.8 million in support for workforce development, a cause she’s passionate about.

Bade will have insight into how IU Health invests the annual interest income from the match during her lifetime. She’s excited to involve her children in those discussions.

“One day, my children will be giving, and I want to train them about why they would want to do that,” said Bade. “With this gift to IU Health, I can involve them in meetings as they get older. When I pass away, they’ll know exactly what I was into and what I cared about. Who knows, maybe they’ll teach me something – ‘Mom, you’re missing it over here.’”

Bade also hopes her gift is an example for other women. “I love counseling women financially, and to me, giving like this is part of that broader picture,” she said. “I want to break it down. I want to explain this to people and provide transparency into an organization I know is doing this the right way.”

Heather Perdue, vice president, campaigns and philanthropy at IU Health Foundation, admires Bade’s determination to identify exactly how her gift will support IU Health’s vision to make Indiana healthier, while supporting the Foundation's "All the Difference" campaign.

“Tasia’s process impressed me,” Perdue said. “It's an honor to work with a donor who is so thoughtful and strategic about what they want to support. She interviewed people about the Indy Health District that IU Health is currently developing. She’s been involved in Cradle Indy. This gift is an important contribution to our campaign, and her decision to make a campaign contribution to equip people who work to improve health through their professional growth and development meets an important need.”

Bade believes a planned gift positions her as a collaborator, not just a checkbook. “It’s not like prior gifts, where I’ve written a check, watched a project come to completion, and then I move on,” Bade said. “This is an ongoing relationship. IU Health already knows the donation that’s coming. Now, we’re continuing this relationship without asking for anything else.”

Bade especially appreciates that IU Health takes care outside hospital walls. “It’s the Congregational Care Network. It’s Mosaic Center. It’s Crispus Attucks High School,” she said.

To include IU Health when planning your legacy, contact Jordan Brewer, director of gift planning, at jbrewer14@iuhealth.org or 317.962.1891.