Sharpe Blog

For many years, charities have lobbied to allow assets held in IRAs to be a source of funds for remainder trusts and gift annuities. They may be on the cusp of achieving this goal. HR 2954 Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021 will directly—and perhaps indirectly—impact charitable giving of donors 70.5 and older. As …Read More

According to recent estimates, 67% of U.S. households—some 85 million families—own pets. Last year, Americans spent almost $100 billion on their pets for everything from food and toys to veterinary care. When you consider these statistics and the fact that pets are often considered important members of the family, it is no surprise they are …Read More

For the past couple of weeks since I joined the Sharpe Group team, I have been immersing myself in Sharpe’s mission, vision and history. And what a history! The more I learn, the more honored I am to be a part of this team. Sharpe Group, soon to be 60 years strong, was founded by …Read More

The past year has been unlike any other. During a global pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans, many in the U.S. have lost their jobs (some permanently), and the economy has been uncertain for most of 2020 and into 2021. COVID-19 has also impacted charitable giving and estate planning but not …Read More

Throughout the remainder of the year, there will be ongoing discussions of major changes to the income and transfer tax systems, including the incentives to charitable giving. One piece of legislation gaining bipartisan support is HR 2954 Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021.1 Section 309 would provide a “One-Time Election for Qualified Charitable Distribution …Read More

Though offering gift annuities is not appropriate for every charitable organization, gift annuities make a lot of sense for organizations with larger numbers of loyal donors in an older demographic. While working in an organization with a substantial nationwide charitable gift annuity program (with more than 5,000 contracts at any one time), I learned the …Read More

From my observations, the members of a gift planning team most likely to clash are the development professional and the investment advisor. From the development professional’s perspective, the advisors treat philanthropy as a product to be marketed and sold with insufficient understanding of a donor’s philanthropic objectives. Gifts are often “presented” to the charity as …Read More

Charities are learning that digital currency, like bitcoin, opens a new giving opportunity for donors. Understanding it may help open the door for future gifts. Yet to understand digital assets and currency, we should review some basics: Money is anything that can be exchanged for something of equal value, such as barter transactions, gold, silver, …Read More

Why should you communicate directly with your female donors? We know that women live longer than men by an estimated five years. This means many women will be solely responsible for the future financial well-being of themselves and their family, including making decisions about the family’s final and often largest philanthropic gift. It is typically …Read More

A planned giving newsletter is one of the most effective ways to reach donors who can and will make planned gifts in the future. The first step is to identify who your donors are in terms of age, gender, marital status and wealth. It is critically important to identify your best prospects so you are …Read More