Extraordinary gift He lived only to age 58, but Orrin W. Macleod, who was a baggage handler and ground crew member ar National Airport in Washington, DC, most of his adult life, left $1 million to the Fairfax County (VA) Public Library. The gift from his estate grew from investments, savings, and some inheritance. Because …Read More

In 1995, an “eagle eye” at the Sharpe company noticed a new trend. Several organizations had placed orders for multiple year-end giving brochure titles at the same time. Curious about this apparent trend that grew in 1996, we contacted a number of the persons who placed those orders as an opportunity to learn more about …Read More

Recent studies of bequest donors to a number of our client organizations reveal interesting information regarding the typical profiles of these donors. This information is based on an in-depth analysis of a total of neatly 1,000 bequests to a number of different organizations and institutions. The information was gleaned from the wills of the deceased, …Read More

Consider the obvious differences between regular annual/membership giving on the one hand and major/planned giving on the other. Ideally, a person’s giving to an organization or institution evolves gradually over a lifetime. As the donor learns more about the mission and cares more about it, hopefully his or her financial capability to make larger gifts …Read More