The Foreign Service Journal, February 2012

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 53 A F S A N E W S M any donors who establish perpet- ual scholarships through AFSA’s scholarship fund do not consider themselves wealthy. They are simply indi- viduals who want to give back to a profes- sion that served them well, or honor a loved one in a way that lives on in perpe- tuity. AFSA’s need-based financial aid schol- arships andmerit awards help undergrad- uate students of Foreign Service employees meet their college expenses. Planned giv- ing also allows donors to receive estate planning benefits while fulfilling philan- thropic goals. A gift of real estate is a great way for ac- tive-duty and retired Foreign Service em- ployees to support AFSA without stretch- ing their finances thin. Such gifts can in- clude personal residences, rental proper- ties, overseas homes and undeveloped land. Like monetary gifts, real estate can be given outright through a bequest in a will or trust or to fund a charitable re- mainder trust or charitable gift annuity, to provide lifetime income for the donor or someone they designate. Planned gifts (real estate or not) can provide additional income for yourself or your spouse, save on future estate taxes, transfer assets to your heirs efficiently to minimize estate taxes and avoid capital gains tax on appreciated assets. Such gifts become evenmore attractive when taking into account ongoing property taxes, maintenance costs and income taxes. It is often financially beneficial to donate prop- erties to nonprofit organizations like the AFSA Scholarship Fund. We encourage any AFSAmembers in- terested in making a deferred gift to the AFSA Scholarship Fund to consult their legal and financial advisers. Lori Dec, AFSA scholarship director, is also available to help you determine the planned gift op- tion best suited to meet your needs and goals. You can contact Lori at (202) 944- 5504 or dec@afsa.org. Leave a Legacy with a Real Estate Planned Gift BY LORI DEC, SCHOLARSHIP DIRECTOR The Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, the Honorable João Vale de Almeida, has confirmed his participation as a panelist. Two additional experts, to be announced soon, will join him on the panel. This program is offered as part of our ongoing AFSA/ Foreign Service Journal panel series, focusing on important foreign affairs topics, and is made possible by donations to the Fund for American Diplomacy, AFSA’s 501(c)(3) charitable organi- zation. Please send your RSVPs to events@afsa.org. abroad, like Ryan C. Crocker, our current ambassador to Afghanistan. Constructive dissent is in the best tra- dition of American diplomacy and is, as our father believed, “the highest form of patriotism.” Please strengthen this tradi- tion by considering nominating a mid- career officer (FS-3 − FS-1) for AFSA’s William R. Rivkin Award. Anyone May Nominate For more than 40 years, AFSA has sponsored the dissent awards program, a program that is unique within the U.S. government. Four dissent awards are of- fered: The F. Allen“Tex”Harris Award for a Foreign Service specialist; theW. Averell Harriman Award for a junior officer (FS- 7 – FS-4), the William R. Rivkin Award for a mid-level officer (FS-3 – FS-1) and the ChristianA. Herter Award for a mem- ber of the Senior Foreign Service (FE- OC – FE-CA). Anyone may nominate any individual or group of individuals. For nomination procedures, please see www.afsa.org/ awards or e-mail Perri Green, AFSA’s Co- ordinator for Special Awards and Out- reach, at green@afsa.org. Deadline for nominations is Feb. 28. INTERAGENCY WRITING COMPETITION The Col. Arthur D. Simons Center for the Study of Interagency Cooperation is spon- soring a nationwide Interagency Writing Competition. This contest is open to the public and recognizes papers that provide insight and fresh thinking in advancing the knowledge, understanding and practice of interagency coordination, cooperation and collaboration at the tactical or operational level. Participants are encouraged to sub- mit papers focused on one of two special topics: The interagency role in preventing conflict when dealing with failing or failed states; or the validity of the “whole of gov- ernment” approach in dealing with the full range of homeland and national security threats. First-place winners will receive a certificate, an engraved plaque and a $2,000 cash award, along with publication in one of the Simons Center’s publications. Second- and third-place winners will receive $1,000 and $500 cash awards, respectively. A panel of judges will evaluate the entries on originality, substance of argument, style and contribution to advancing the understanding and practice of interagency cooperation at the operational and tactical levels. Manuscripts may be submitted through the Simons Center Web site at www.TheSimonsCenter.org/competition, or e-mailed to editor@TheSimonsCenter.org with the subject line “Interagency Writing Competition.” The deadline for submitting papers is Friday, March 16.