Getting donors to say “yes” often involves working with their professional advisors—attorneys, accountants, financial planners, trust officers, insurance agents, bankers, etc. Planned giving officers may be more knowledgeable about sophisticated charitable planning than professionals who only occasionally encounter charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities or the use of charitable techniques in estate and generation-skipping transfers.
Many gift officers know that providing the latest information about legislation, court cases and IRS rulings makes them a go-to source for allied professionals. This can take several forms, including regular print or electronic updates, informative presentations offering continuing education credits and membership on the charity’s advisory committee. The goal is two-fold: generate goodwill and familiarize advisors who might otherwise dissuade a client from using a particular charitable technique. There may even be circumstances where a client with no affinity to a particular organization might benefit by including a charitable vehicle in his or her plans. The advisor can be in the position of recommending one or more organizations, based on the advisor’s experience with the planned gift officer.
National organizations and those with donors in all regions of the country (e.g., colleges) might cast a wider net when amassing a list of advisors to whom they will send regular communication. Charities with a more localized donor base might concentrate their outreach to advisors within a certain geographic area but also add opportunities to meet personally.
A law school might consider sending information on charitable planning to its own alumni who specialize in estate planning and taxes, as both a service to the professional and a reminder of the lawyer’s ties to his or her alma mater.
A regular program of educating advisors about the latest trends in the field can make a planned giving officer and the organization an invaluable resource.
The Advisor eNewsletter
Sharpe Group has developed a digital newsletter written specifically for financial advisors and tax experts to provide them with information on how charitable giving can fit into their clients’ overall estate planning. This annual service includes an electronic survey and analytics with each issue. For an added fee, we can provide the email service to send each issue for you.
The Advisor is published six times a year, every other month, and includes relevant IRS rulings and court cases, tables and charts and the Philanthropy Puzzler.
Branded with your organization’s logo, advisors will receive timely and valuable information to share with their clients who have charitable intent. You will receive your own custom url that will be linked in each issue’s email. Recipients will be directed to your customized website containing the latest content from your subscripition to The Advisor.
Click here to learn more about this new service.
