Sharpe Blog

In the three decades I’ve spent as a marketing professional, I’ve seen many changes in how we communicate and consume information. Years ago, I worked for a local public broadcasting station during the time analog television was transitioning to digital. As P.R. director, I spent a lot of time on the phone helping viewers install…

The landscape of planned giving is always changing, requiring a depth of knowledge, expertise and adaptability. In addition to being excellent relationship managers, gift planners must have knowledge of:   shifting demographics. changing tax laws. economic conditions. technological advancements. best practices, and more. When it comes to budgeting and a desire for a favorable return…

Over our 60+ year history, Sharpe Group has worked with thousands of nonprofit organizations of all sizes and across a multitude of missions. One thing is constant: The Sharpe team is committed to making our world a better place through our work. It is often said there is strength in numbers, and we’ve found that…

In the last few years, Americans’ household wealth has continued to grow, reaching record highs driven primarily by increases in the value of corporate stock. According to Federal Reserve reports, the majority of American families have stock holdings directly or indirectly in individual stock shares or other arrangements like IRAs, 401(k)s and 403(b)s. Between 2010…

While the final months of the year are often the busiest for charities from a fundraising perspective, this year there’s going to be another focus (a presidential election) that will at best fill up your donors’ voicemail, inbox and mailbox with campaign messages and at worst distract them from making their gifts. We continue to…

We would all agree that marketing is critical to planned giving. In the for-profit realm, marketing is the outbound reach to promote and sell. However, this is only 25% of the “marketing mix.” Philip Kotler, known as the “Father of Modern Marketing,” is the author of the widely accepted practice of the “4 P’s of…

Senior VP and Senior Consultant Joe Chickey, draws on interactions with his own parents, who are in their 90s, turning these experiences into teachable planned giving moments. Here, he explores lessons in appreciated stock. After much heartfelt discussion and thoughtful debate, my parents recently decided it was time to leave their home of 32 years…

At Sharpe Group, we have found there are many tools and methods used in the for-profit world that can be applied successfully to nonprofit organizations. One of these is SWOT analysis, whose creation is generally attributed to Albert Humphrey in the 1960s at the Stanford Research Institute. to identify why corporate planning consistently failed. SWOT…

When it comes to charitable gift annuity programs, the past several decades have been difficult ones. Like a perfect storm, lower interest rates combined with a smaller group of Silent Generation donors who had aged into the 75+ age range, causing the long-popular split-interest gift plan to lose some of its appeal. But now things…

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,…