2023 Winter Issue - 29

PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT
ULI Capital Campaign Seeks
to Raise $100 Million
Givers see ULI as way to help solve global problems, but also feel
desire to give back to an organization that has benefited them.
PATRICK J. KIGER
This past fall, ULI Foundation chair Faron
A. Hill helped announce the public launch
of Our Cities, Our Future: The Campaign
for the Urban Land Institute. The organization's
first-ever capital campaign,
Our Cities, Our Future aims to raise $100
million to further ULI's global mission of
shaping the future of the built environment
for transformative impact in communities
worldwide.
The fundraising campaign seeks to provide
ULI with the means to achieve its three
mission priorities-decarbonizing the built
environment, making housing more attainable,
and educating the next generation of
diverse real estate industry leaders. Campaign
co-chairman Doug Abbey, chairman
emeritus of Swift Real Estate Partners, sees
the effort as powering measurable, lasting
progress in tackling pressing problems.
" We are laser focused on outcomes, "
Abbey writes in an email. " Decarbonization
is a mission priority. We will be measuring
how ULI's efforts have led to reductions
in embedded carbon and emissions. Likewise,
on the housing front we will measure
how many units are being produced as the
result of our efforts to disseminate best
practice and policy through our district
council network. "
Embracing the Mission
Money raised before the public launch is
already being used to further ULI's mission.
Earlier this year, Randall Lewis gave
$10 million to name the ULI Randall Lewis
Center for Sustainability in Real Estate,
which focuses on creating healthy, sustainable,
and resilient communities around the
world. J. Ronald Terwilliger also recently
increased his commitment by $4 million
to the Terwilliger Center for Housing, which
focuses on advancing best practices in
residential development and public policy
and supports creating and sustaining a
full spectrum of housing opportunities,
particularly for low- and moderate-income
households. A $1.5 million gift from Preston
Butcher, chairman of the real estate
firm Legacy Partners, and his wife Carolyn
Butcher has underwritten ULI's new Homeless
to Housed Initiative, which aims to
identify and spread best practices for community
efforts to provide housing for those
experiencing homelessness.
In addition, Ron Nahas, a partner in the
development firm Rafanelli & Nahas, and
his wife Mary gave $1 million to support
UrbanPlan, an educational program that
enables high school and university students
and others to learn how real estate development
works, while Bruce Etkin, chairman
of Etkin Johnson Real Estate Partners, has
provided $1 million to establish the Etkin
Scholars Program, which enables college
and university students to join ULI and participate
in events.
The fundraising effort also shines a
light on ULI's growing group of memberbenefactors,
who contribute at a range of
financial levels.
" There are three ways to support the
ULI mission-time, talent, and treasure, "
says Janice P. Periquet, president of the ULI
Foundation. " The mix varies over time. What
is clear and proven is that members are
making the ULI Foundation one of their top
philanthropic priorities. "
ULI's member-donors have a variety of
motivations for giving, but many describe
a gradual evolution that parallels their personal
and professional growth in the organization.
Early on, they may be influenced
to emulate the giving of an industry leader
whom they admire. But eventually, they
may be motivated by a desire to support
specific ULI programs that deal with concerns
they share. They often also speak of
reaching a point in their career where they
reflect on how they have benefited from the
ULI experience and seek an opportunity to
pay it forward and help future generations.
Ron Terwilliger, trustee and past ULI
chairman
WINTER 2023
URBAN LAND
27
COURTESY OF RON TERWILLIGER
2023 Winter Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2023 Winter Issue
