Church receives $1 million from “frugal” widow Ruth Hendrix, of Piney Creek, North Carolina, said she would leave “a little something” in her will for Mt. Zion Methodist Church. The retired schoolteacher’s gift turned out to be stock and land valued at $1.1 million. Ironically, Ms. Hendrix was not even a member of the congregation. …Read More
Sharpe Give & Take Articles

Archive for May, 1997
A Word About Planned Giving Seminars
We are often asked about the mechanics and advisability of conducting planned giving seminars for donors, professional advisors, and staff and board members. Many reasons exist for holding such seminars: To inform prospects and current donors about the variety of gift plans To let professional advisors know you accept various kinds of gifts To increase …Read More
‘Train & Maintain’ Your Volunteer Force
Volunteers make up a viable force in the nonprofit world. According to a recent report on volunteering in America conducted by the Independent Sector, 93 million (48.8% of the population) volunteers give, on average, 4.2 hours each per week for a total of 20.3 billion annual volunteer hours. How does the nonprofit use these volunteered …Read More
Help Your Donors Meet Personal and Charitable Goals
Attempting to meet both the needs of your institution or organization and those of its donors is a fine line that gift planning officers must walk everyday. What can the donor logically give that won’t deplete his or her reserves? What needs does the non-profit have that may match the individual’s ability to give? Gift …Read More