At a recent Environmental Roundtable meeting of CFOs, chief development officers and chief people officers, I was privileged to moderate an important discussion on the current granting environment. The group consisted of large and mid-sized nonprofits along with Lee Klumpp, national assurance director—Nonprofit and Education Practice, BDO USA LLP, who offered his expertise. Not surprisingly, one …Read More
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University’s Lily School of Philanthropy has released a new report analyzing how women’s charitable giving has changed over the past two decades. The report concluded that women’s donor participation declined during the pandemic, but their average gifts increased, which could have lasting implications for charitable giving should this trend …Read More
A large part of my planned giving consulting practice involves estate settlement. With that comes the repeated challenges of receiving IRA gifts to charity via beneficiary designation. When people pass away and leave money in their IRA accounts to charities, financial institutions often make it unnecessarily difficult for the charities to collect the money. Some …Read More
More and more donors are learning that using their IRAs to give to their favorite charities with a QCD is beneficial because they are making meaningful contributions while avoiding paying taxes on their IRA distributions. As your charity receives more of these types of gifts, there are some key challenges and rules to be aware …Read More
Watching the Golden Globes, one of my favorite acceptance speeches was given by Hiroyuki Sanada, an actor from “Shōgun”. He spoke to those who are following in his footsteps, saying, “For the young actors and creators in the world, please be yourself, believe in yourself and never give up. Good luck!” I love that his …Read More
Truth #1: Postage costs have increased every year. Who could have predicted a roll of Forever stamps would be equivalent to a Warren Buffet-type investment? Truth #2: Older donors with the capacity and desire to learn about a planned gift, such as a QCD or noncash gift, a charitable gift annuity or a bequest, are …Read More
On a recent transatlantic flight, I queued up some of my favorite music by Luke Combs, hoping to relax and get some sleep. As I drifted off, the lyrics of one of his songs really resonated with me, especially in relation to my role as a gift planning consultant. When I hear that hallelujah chorus …Read More
According to several studies, it appears the adage “’tis better to give than to receive” is a scientific fact. Here’s to your health In 2013, Emma Seppälä, PhD and Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), published the article “The Compassionate Mind,” where she reported that for people who are ill, showing …Read More
While most fundraisers are comfortable asking for the major gift, few truly have a plan for how to move forward to ensure the gift will be realized. The reality is you must sell the idea twice—first to your donor and then to their advisor, because the larger the gift, the more likely it will be …Read More
As Thanksgiving approaches, we asked some of the Sharpe Group team what they are thankful for. Here are some things from our gratitude list. “I am thankful for the most beautiful October weather and enduring friendships.”—Kristin Croone, Senior Consultant “I am thankful for my physical and mental well-being and my close relationships with my husband …Read More