Donor Stories

Betsy Mangone is a long-time supporter of the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research and also currently serves on the Advisory Board.

How did you first learn about the Ludeman Center and what led you to join the Advisory Board?

I initially heard about the Ludeman Center while working at The Denver Foundation. One of the Donor Advised Fund holders requested a grant from her fund be made to the Ludeman Center. I had never heard of this organization, but the more I learned, the more impressed I became. Not long thereafter, members of the Ludeman Center's Advisory Board contacted me to see if I would be willing to spend ‘a short time’ assisting with some long-range planning that the board was orchestrating. That was 10 years ago, and I’m still going strong!

Please share a little about your background, family, education, work and interests.

I graduated from American University in Washington, DC, with a degree in Public Affairs. I eventually married and had two children who today are thriving with their families and careers. My husband and I both continue to work. I currently choose to serve on governing boards whose missions I believe in and whose financial structure and administrative abilities are exemplary. These organizations include: American University; University of Colorado and the University of Colorado Foundation; Craig Hospital Foundation; The Denver Foundation; and of course, the Ludeman Center.

What motivates you philanthropically?

Years ago I became interested in a particular form of philanthropy called ‘charitable gift planning’. It appealed to me because it offered options for the philanthropically inclined to make major gifts, while continuing to benefit their personal financial and estate planning goals. I was early in the field (and initially one of the rare women in the field) and consequently had the opportunity to work with the IRS in establishing many of the current rules that continue to govern this form of philanthropy.

Why have you chosen to give your time to Ludeman Center? Why have you chosen to financially support Ludeman Center?

I have chosen to continue working with and supporting the Ludeman Center for so many years because it exemplifies what attracts me to support an organization with my time and money—an important mission, a successful track record, excellent leadership, strong strategic and financial goals, an emphasis on honoring those who choose to support it, and finally, the friendships between the Ludeman Center's faculty, staff and my fellow colleagues on the Advisory Board.