Sharpe Blog

  A donor’s impact on an organization is not only influential—it comes from a personal connection. Many donors give because they are passionate about the work and mission of your charity. Donors deserve appreciation for their generosity through a meaningful thank-you. Here are five impactful and creative ways to show your donors how much you …Read More

Section 642(c) of the Internal Revenue Code clearly describes the requirements for a trust to deduct any charitable distributions. A trust can deduct for “any amount of gross income, without limitation, which pursuant to the terms of the governing instrument is, during the taxable year, paid for a purpose specified in Section 170(c).” The trust …Read More

Donors and board members looking for new ways to support charity need look no further. The flexible deferred gift annuity offers several key benefits. First, charitable gift annuities allow unlimited contributions to enable a donor to meet current and future income needs. The IRS regulations limit contributions to IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and other retirement plans …Read More

A flexible gift annuity permits payments to be deferred until a commencement date of the annuitant’s choosing. A schedule of possible start dates with payment amounts is created when the annuity is funded. The longer the deferral of commencement, the greater the annuity payments. The income tax deduction will be based on either a set …Read More

With Dec. 31 right around the corner, another calendar year is drawing to a close. Traditionally, the final quarter is the most generous time of the year for charitable giving. Many charitable organizations receive between one fifth and one quarter of their yearly gifts in December alone! In addition to your other fundraising activities, you …Read More

Introduction The price index for American consumer goods rose at an annual rate of 4.2% for the month ending in July. This is the fastest pace since January of 1991. While Fed Chairman Jerome Powell believes the inflation spike is temporary, now might be an appropriate time to examine how an inflationary environment would impact …Read More

Nudge theory suggests positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions can influence the behavior of an individual. The concept became mainstream with the 2008 book “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Wealth and Happiness” by professors Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. They argued that more people would have more saved for retirement if employers created default retirement …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

Spring falls in 2020 The global pandemic sent shockwaves through the economy and led to a major stock market correction and recession in the spring of 2020. The U.S. GDP fell 33.1% during the second quarter of 2020. Many would expect the overall number of wealthy Americans would fall significantly. Initial reports indicated this was …Read More

Notwithstanding the enormous subsidies under the Internal Revenue Code for qualified retirement plans, the bottom two quartiles of workers are not broadly participating. In a recently released study from the Joint Committee, the “take-up rate” is only 76% of workers with access to a qualified retirement plan actually participate.1 In other words, 24% of workers …Read More