Dear honored members, retirees & active employees,
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a simple idea: a global day dedicated to giving back. It takes place annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, part of a Season of Giving dedicated to generosity, kindness, and gratitude.
For retirees and active employees and their families, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to strengthen organizations that work tirelessly to protect rights, preserve dignity, and secure the futures that they earned.
We anticipate that our members will make a donation to the Association of BellTel Retirees during the 2025 season of giving. Your support is critical: our work to defend the pensions, healthcare, and benefits to retirees cannot continue without financial contributions from members like you.
Corporate obligations are only as strong as our ability to hold companies accountable, and that requires resources. Every gift, no matter the size, empowers the Association to fight for your rights and ensure that the commitments made to you are honored. Please join us on or even in the weeks that follow Giving Tuesday to stand up for what you have earned and deserve!
Know that your board of directors at the Association understands and shares your same burden of increasing costs: energy, insurance, rent, etc. In fact, our current donations are lagging by 19% compared to this same time last year. In response, your board has reduced expenses where reasonable to do so without compromising our mission or service to you, our valued members.
Our mission is simple: to protect the benefits you’ve earned. We fight on your behalf through proxy proposals, annual letters requesting COLA adjustments, and legislative efforts against pension stripping. But our work goes far beyond advocacy.
We keep you informed with a quarterly newsletter and timely updates through print, social media, and our hotline. Every year, we answer hundreds of calls from retirees needing help with healthcare benefits, death benefits, pension concerns, or simply knowing who to contact when issues arise.
Our office is your go-to resource—backed by a dedicated board and staff who work tirelessly for you. But this support only continues with your help. Don’t let it disappear—donate today and ensure we can keep fighting for you.
We know that our members will respond generously because you understand that your donations enable a vital and powerful Association.
With that in mind, we have set a challenging, but surely reachable, $75K goal for our 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign. You can depend on your board of directors to donate generously!
For those who are able and have already been donating, we thank you. I hope you are able to be generous again this year. For those who have not donated in a while, we really would appreciate your generosity now!
· Donate: Visit our donation page on our website to contribute. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us in our mission to protect you.
· Stay Informed: Read our newsletters and social media pages to see the impact of our efforts.
· Spread the Word: Encourage fellow retirees, current employees, and friends to support our cause.
In addition to your typical generous donation, consider your Association during your current and future planned giving. This includes estate planning, your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) to a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), and adding the Association as a beneficiary. We recommend you seek advice from your financial or legal advisor on planned giving. You should also discuss “use and purpose” when naming the Association as a beneficiary.
Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using: IRAs and retirement plans; Life insurance policies; Bank Accounts; Certificate of Deposit (CDs); Brokerage Accounts.
It is very simple to name the Association as a beneficiary. Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider’s website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.
Qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a mutually beneficial way to donate. Not only does it count toward required minimum distribution (RMD), but the distribution is completely tax-free. That means you can still take the standard deduction on your taxes instead of itemizing to get the charitable contribution deduction.
The IRS reminds those aged 73 and older to make required withdrawals from IRAs and retirement plans by Dec. 31. We recommend you seek advice from your financial or legal advisor.
We are better and stronger together in solidarity!
Una Kelly, Treasurer and Laura Whitlock, Director
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