In an surprise ending to a story I linked to earlier this week, the entire board of the Lodi Historical Society in Lodi, Wisconsin, switched gears at the last moment and resigned, clearing the way for the organization to receive over $500K in bequest money.
In the town of 2900, the skirmish over a donor’s dying wish has clearly worn out both the town and the nonprofit’s board. He had given the money in his will, but only on the stipulation that all members of the board resign within a year of his death.
Quoted in this article, one society member was a bit bitter about the impact large gifts can have on small organizations:
Patti Gottschall Schuknecht, a charter member of the historical society, said if the bequest had been $50, people would have seen it as a bribe to disrupt the democratic process.”The size of the gift blinds people to the fact that it is unethical,” she said.
