See Cat Give: a Community Fund Spins a Whimsical Tale of Bequests

Lafayette LeChat, a talking cat who lives in New Orleans, wears a crisp checkered suit and likes leisurely meals at outdoor cafes. That could be the start of a children’s book, but Lafayette, the French Quarter Cat, is part of a whimsical tale to teach adults about bequests and other planned gifts in a fun and lively way.

When he runs into his friend Claude DeMieux, a fat-cat lawyer, the two felines decide to spend the day visiting their favorite haunts. They’re the main characters of “Giving While Living,” a booklet by the Greater New Orleans Foundation about six types of planned gifts that readers can use to support charities and the Big Easy.

As the story continues, the two cats tour historic French sites, popular eateries, and other landmarks in New Orleans while Claude peppers Lafayette with ideas about giving.

“But I have so many financial obligations right now,” Lafayette protests. “I can’t give as much as I’d like.”

“There are lots of ways to give that won’t impact your lifestyle,” Claude replies smoothly. Without making a big cash outlay, he tells Lafayette, it’s possible to make a generous gift through a home, life-insurance policy, or retirement plan. He also tells Lafayette about two types of charitable trusts that would benefit his favorite cause and provide him and his heirs with an income.

“I guess you’ve got an answer for everything,” Lafayette says with perhaps a hint of sarcasm.

Cool Cats in Jazzland

“Giving While Living” is the brainchild of Lauren Cecil, a fundraiser at the Greater New Orleans Foundation who formerly edited children’s books.

With the bad economy making it harder for many donors to part with cash, “we knew we needed a planned-giving brochure,” Ms. Cecil says, “but most planned-giving brochures make me fall asleep in five seconds.” That sparked an idea: Why not use a child’s tale to simplify and enliven the otherwise dry aspects of planned giving?

Ms. Cecil and her colleagues chose the artist Mark Andresen, who lived in New Orleans for many years, to illustrate the booklet.

Ms. Cecil wanted animal characters such as Gulf alligators or mosquitoes. But Mr. Andresen argued that felines—think the cool cats of the jazz era—were better suited for New Orleans. After Ms. Cecil scoured lists of French names to find appropriate monikers, the identities of Lafayette and Claude were complete.

Mr. Andresen suggested two-color cartoon illustrations to depict the two friends’ saunter through sites and activities familiar to lovers of the city: Jackson Square, a streetcar ride, Parkway Bakery where the cats munch on Po’ Boy sandwiches, and the iconic mule-driven cart where they (and countless other New Orleanians) buy Roman Chewing Candy.

A Blaring Trumpet

From the first print run of 2,000 copies of “Giving While Living,” 350 were mailed last month to local financial advisers who work with affluent families, Ms. Cecil says.

Another 350 were sent to the foundation’s most-generous supporters and some other people it hopes will become donors.

The foundation got some early publicity from local newspapers and television news for the booklet by holding a book-launch party aboard a historic street car. As a trumpet blared, a foundation staff member dressed up as Lafayette handed out free copies of the booklet and Roman candy.

While it’s still too early to gauge the ultimate impact of “Giving While Living,” Ms. Cecil says the foundation has received calls from community foundations and other large charities that, no pun intended, want to copy-cat her idea. And she’s already received a call from a woman who read about the project in the local newspaper and is thinking about donating a house. Ms. Cecil promptly sent her the booklet in the hope that she would call back for more information.

“We did not want to do a death brochure” about planning a will or leaving a legacy, says Ms. Cecil. “This is about life, it’s about celebrating giving.”

And that’s exactly what Claude and Lafayette do. At the end of their day together, pausing on a street corner, they hear “the brassy sound of trombones wailing.” The two cats join a line of other characters behind the band and dance, “all the way back to the French Quarter.”