Last August, the Reverend Sara Batson of Christ Episcopal Church in Media, Pennsylvania, received an exciting phone call: An attorney informed her that one of her parishioners had just bequeathed 75% of a $1.8 million estate to her church. As Rector of what she describes as a modest parish, Rev. Batson was astonished, but not …Read More

When a donor indicates an interest in establishing a trust to benefit your organization, what is the next step? Because “trust” is commonly used as a catchall for planned gifts, development officers, financial advisors, and donors can come to the process with different expectations, resulting in confusion and frustration for everyone involved. Even experienced fundraisers …Read More

The most recent figures available from the Internal Revenue Service feature good news for gift planners: Despite a weakened economy, planned giving activity has continued to reach record levels in recent years. IRS analysis of estate tax returns filed for 2001 reveals that charitable deductions totaling approximately $16.15 billion were claimed on 18,711 estate tax …Read More