Sharpe Blog

As troubleshooter, advisor and draftsman, a lawyer will be involved in the largest gifts with the most complications stemming from asset selection. They serve as “Dr. No” when donors are determining the size of the gift or, perhaps, whether to give at death rather than during lifetime. Their only motive is protecting all interests of …Read More

You are approached by someone previously unknown to your organization about a gift of a large sculpture. She explains that she has recently downsized, and the sculpture no longer suits her living space. She purchased it through her interior designer years ago. It is an odd gift, to be certain. With some tactful pressing, you …Read More

Anyone with a background in major and planned giving knows there is no limit to how creative donors can be in making gifts to an organization. Some unusual offerings require major and planned giving officers to get creative and find a way to structure the gift in a way that will be beneficial to both …Read More

In navigating the last lap of the journey to a completed gift, the accountant looms prominently. Long regarded as the trusted advisor, the accountant, especially one with a financial planning practice, often has the entire picture of the donor’s cash flow and assets. The accountant often answers one or more of the following questions: Should? …Read More

This winter, Sharpe Group conducted a 3-day planned giving seminar, The Essentials of Gift Planning & Taxes, as part of our Sharpe Online Academy. This seminar is based on the 5-day comprehensive seminar traditionally held in person each year in Florida. The 5-day seminar typically includes twenty-two sessions in addition to multiple informal gatherings for …Read More

Perhaps not, but often the completion of a planned gift does necessitate teamwork. Larger commitments (six figures and higher for most givers) trigger income tax, estate planning, retirement income and insurance consequences. The donor often contemplates a planned gift in response to the challenge of “wanting to do more” but “not sure if I (or …Read More

In Part 1, I shared a story of client who asked for a residual gift instead a specific dollar amount and ended up with a rather large estate gift. There is often great internal pressure to ask for and “book” a specific value for a gift, which is all but impossible for residuary gifts. This …Read More

Sharpe Group generally encourages its clients to seek out residuary estate gifts instead of gifts of specific dollar amounts. Is this always a good idea? Let me share a story of two charities, one that requested a residual gift and one that requested a specific amount from the same donor, and how things unfolded. After …Read More

Sharpe Group is pleased to welcome back to the team, Kristin Croone. Kristin recently returned to Sharpe as a Senior Consultant after taking a short break from the gift planning field. She has a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She previously worked with Sharpe as a technical editor and has worked …Read More

There’s something important about 2020 charitable giving that’s not been reported in the press. 2020 was a banner year for planned gifts. Annual giving held up well too. At least, that’s what I’ve heard from my clients—a mix of top-notch educational, healthcare, arts and social service organizations. Good news, but no surprise to me. No …Read More