Sharpe Blog

Question: For a donor 70½ or older, is a QCD the best way to fund a gift annuity?   Answer: In certain circumstances. Your donor may find, however, that it is more advantageous to use cash or appreciated securities because they: Will receive a charitable income tax deduction if they itemize. Avoid some capital gains, …Read More

Even though summer is officially underway, it’s not too early to begin making your plans for the busy year-end season. Thankfully, there are several national events that have been established to bring awareness to the importance of charitable giving and can provide your donors an opportunity to support your organization. For 2023, these are the …Read More

Question: I have a donor who is considering making a noncash gift at year-end. In addition to giving highly appreciated securities, what are other options I should discuss with them?            Answer: Even the shrewdest investor occasionally buys a stock that turns out to be a “dog.”  Continuing to hold declining stock, hoping for an upturn, …Read More

Publicly traded securities—such as stocks and mutual funds—that have been held for more than one year are the noncash assets most frequently donated to charities. With a gift of securities, donors may deduct the full value of the securities instead of what they originally paid, and donors avoid any capital gains tax they would owe …Read More

Question: A donor has U.S. savings bonds purchased years before and would like to use them to make a charitable gift. Can the donor give the bonds, similar to giving shares of stock, and avoid any tax on the increase in the bonds’ value? Answer: Treasury rules don’t allow you to transfer the bonds directly …Read More

By Matt Czyl   It’s been proven time and time again that charitable organizations receive much of their annual gifts in the final quarter of the year. As you begin formulating your communications strategy for the last part of 2023, it’s important to understand how and why people choose to give at this time of …Read More

Most people make charitable gifts to worthy causes and organizations that they believe do good work or with missions they are passionate about. Experienced fundraisers understand that larger gifts, whether current or deferred, do not occur without forethought. Many committed donors wish that they could give more; however, a variety of personal concerns can disrupt …Read More

The final three months of the year are traditionally the busiest for fundraisers at charitable organizations, and now is the time to prepare. Many nonprofits receive between 30% and 40% of their yearly gift total during the final six to eight weeks of the year. Understanding how and why people choose to give at this …Read More

Giving USA 2022: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the year 2021 found that giving to the education sector declined last year and that education was the only sector to have negative results. The figure dropped 2.8% to an estimated $70.79 billion for the year. This could be a one-year fluctuation, or it could be …Read More