Real estate can be a very complex asset to accept. That’s because no two properties are alike. They all have their own intricacies, such as location, condition, use, value, etc. These intricacies all bring their own kind of potential risk to a nonprofit. Luckily, the process for evaluating real estate…

  Gifts of Life Insurance can strike fear in the heart of even the most stalwart Gift Planner. It’s a complex asset and can seem intimidating, but with a few key pieces of knowledge you can master it.  The Basics Life Insurance comes in two basic types – “term” and…

SUBSCRIBE TO GIFT TIPS Accepting charitable gifts of retirement assets is relatively easy, because the gift arrives in the form of a check. The hard part is navigating the complexities that come with retirement accounts themselves.  In this article, we will look at: Tax basics of retirement assets; Three most…

  Each month during 2021 I will be sharing a step-by-step guide to accepting a different non-cash asset. This month we’ll explore publicly-traded stock and mutual funds.  When charities decide to start accepting non-cash gifts they usually start with stock and mutual funds, because it’s the easiest to accept and…

Hello and Happy 2021! It’s been quite a while since I’ve written to you. So many times I sat down to write, but ultimately decided not to crowd the already crowded airwaves with another message. If you’re like me, you received more blog posts in 2020 than you could read. …

With year-end getting closer and closer, we don’t have a great deal of time to plan complicated gift strategies, but there are three simple ways that we can give big and give strategically before the end of 2019. #1: Appreciated Securities Appreciated securities can be one of the quickest and…

Did you know that entrepreneurs are the most generous segment of American society? According to a study by Fidelity Charitable, entrepreneurs are leading the way in virtually every area of generosity. From giving, to innovating, to volunteering – they’re doing more. If you’ve ever worked with a business owner, you…

Program Related Investing (PRI) is the Next Big Thing in Philanthropy. The potential is completely untapped. Let’s break it down. About 10 years ago I heard about PRI for the first time. The Community Foundation for which I worked  dipped it’s toe into the PRI world when it began making below-market…

Most of the small to mid-size nonprofits I coach ask me the exact same question: “How can we start or up-level our gift planning program without a huge investment?”  My advice is always the same. You can raise big planned gifts with little or no additional investment. You should focus…