How Charitable Deductions Can Generate Estate Tax

Posted July 23rd, 2021

The head of the planned giving program is often requested by the head of development and/or finance to estimate the organization’s share of a deceased supporter’s estate. Usually, the executor or legal counsel is cooperative in providing a rough estimate of any residuary shares. Before communicating a number, the planned giving officer needs to understand …Read More

Digital Marketing’s Place in a Planned Giving Program

Posted July 20th, 2021

Sharpe Group has been studying donor communications strategies for over 50 years. We know that a multi-channel marketing approach is necessary to effectively communicate with distinct age groups who may have different ways of getting information. We also know that more “touches” with a wider variety of communications mediums can improve overall engagement and is …Read More

Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth

Posted July 9th, 2021

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

One of the Family: Including Pets in Estate Plans

Posted June 25th, 2021

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

Continuing the Legacy, Crafting the Vision

Posted June 21st, 2021

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

Generosity Shines Bright Through the Pandemic

Posted June 11th, 2021

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

The Coming Expanded Availability of QCDs? Worthy of Investigation? YES, but … Unanswered Questions

Posted June 7th, 2021

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

Marketing Charitable Gift Annuities

Posted May 21st, 2021

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

Ensuring Better Relations Between Development Professionals and Financial Advisors

Posted May 14th, 2021

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

What About Bitcoin?

Posted May 7th, 2021

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