The Council for Aid to Education (CAE) recently released findings from their annual Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey. The report, which covers giving to higher educational institutions’ fiscal years, mainly from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, indicated that giving to colleges and universities hit a record $40.3 billion. This is good news indeed as …Read More
Sharpe Insights Articles

Archive for April, 2016
Giving to Colleges and Universities Reaches Record High
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Gift Planning Tips From the Bard
April marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Though coined hundreds of years ago, many of the phrases and idioms we use today come directly from his writings. Here are a few lessons from the playwright that we may apply to gift planning. “Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast.”—Romeo and Juliet In our …Read More
Q&A: What Donor Communication Tools Are Best for Your Organization?
A Give & Take reader recently asked, “What would be a good educational piece to encourage donors to think about a broader range of giving options?” We asked Senior Consultant Aviva Shiff Boedecker to share her thoughts in response to this question. Boedecker: The Sharpe brochure “5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Gifts” and the booklet “Your Guide to Effective Giving in 2016” …Read More
What Goldilocks Can Teach Us About Taxes and Giving
By Barlow Mann While people rarely make a charitable gift of a dollar just to save less than 40 cents, in most cases, as the result of a federal income tax charitable deduction, it is undeniable that many donors utilize and appreciate the deductions at tax time every year. Giving USA and IRS data indicate approximately 80 percent of the amount …Read More