John Ellard: Championing the Merits of Legacy Giving

John Ellard has spent the past four years tirelessly working to establish and grow the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Legacy Advisors group, and he wants as many professionals as possible to become invested in its objective.

John and his wife, Laura, first experienced Children's in 1998, when their son had a minor surgery. Even though his procedure wasn't serious or life-threatening, the Ellards saw up close just how important it is to have a pediatric hospital close to home. Around the same time, John’s professional endeavors led him to connect with members of the Children's executive leadership team. He kept in contact with some of them through the years, and when the Board decided to focus on legacy giving, John was top of mind.

Together with three inaugural leadership council members, John and Children’s Foundation staff began to discuss what they could do to help Children's increase legacy giving, while also enticing legacy advisors to participate in their efforts.

"When somebody walks through the doors at Children's, they experience the medical excellence. They're treated as a whole and cared for as a family. That's what Children's does,” says John. “We wanted to take that same concept of excellence and apply that to this group."

As the first Legacy Advisor Chairman, John has been instrumental in focusing and guiding the program's efforts. Four years since its launch, the Children's Legacy Advisors group now consists of more than 150 attorneys, financial advisors, wealth managers, insurance professionals and others who assist clients on leaving a portion or all of their estates to a philanthropic cause.

When asked why he thinks the program has been so successful, John explains, "What better organization is there to sponsor a group like this than Children’s? What other organization cuts across all demographics, all industries, all people? Bringing a group like this to Children's is a perfect fit."

It is also a perfect fit for the Ellards’ own family legacy. They have designated Children's as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy to support the greatest need so that other patient families receive the same level of care that they did.

Looking toward the future, John says he is proud of this unique program. "We wanted to create something that wasn't already in place in the professional advisor landscape. That's how we conceived a leadership-focused group that could help advisors grow personally and professionally and to stimulate conversations about philanthropic giving with their clients. It's been incredibly rewarding to see the amazing legacies those conversations have lead to."