When a donor presented UCLA with the gift of a crypt in the Westwood mausoleum where Marilyn Monroe is interred, Jane Mackie didn't miss a beat. She sold it to the highest bidder, bringing in $150,000.

"People want to contribute in any way they can," said Mackie, who came to the Gift Services Department last February to work with development officers in expanding UCLA's universe of donor possibilities.

And the possibilities are endless. A beloved piece of fine jewelry could help send a deserving student to UCLA. Or a painting, Oriental carpet, piece of antique furniture, silver serving set or book, coin or wine collection. Even an old car collecting dust in the driveway.
Mackie previously served as director of trusts and estates for Butterfields, a fine-arts auction house where she honed the skills she uses in securing the highest price possible for items donated to UCLA, turning them into scholarships, endowed chairs, new classrooms and hospital wings.

"People are taking a fresh look at what's around them and realizing they can be assets for helping UCLA," she said.

Among the items she is currently handling are a piece by contemporary sculptor Fletcher Benton, a million-dollar jewelry and painting collection and a 19th-century violin. "If the violin turns out to be valued over a certain amount," she said, "I'll send it to a fine auctioneer in London, the hot market for violins right now.

"It's a treasure hunt," she said of her job. "You never know what you're going to find, but to a donor and to UCLA, their assets are important and special."

Mackie was born and raised in Bryn Mawr, Pa., an area rich with world-class public and private art. "I was blessed with parents who made art a daily part of my life," she said. "They took me to museums from a very early age." But as a child, she also took to visiting yard sales.

Later, she included visits to antique and estate sales. But her professional entry into the field came while she was working in TV and film production. She was (and still is) a board member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Decorative Arts Council and the Los Angeles Estate Planning Council, while also earning a certificate at UCLA Extension in fund-raising and institutional development. When someone suggested she consider the field of trusts and estates, "That was an 'Aha!' moment," she said.

Recently, she sold a 1990 Jaguar given by a generous UCLA friend, auctioning it off on eBay's Web site for $15,000. She has since created a full-blown automobile donation program. "We don't care what the car is," she said. "It can be a junk heap or a Porsche. The bottom line is that low-end items add up to a high-revenue stream. High-end items are icing on the cake."

To discuss the donation of an item, call Mackie at (310) 794-3392.