Sharpe Insights Articles

2017 has been a year of great change and uncertainty. As we move into 2018, we look at how federal tax legislation and other developments may or may not impact nonprofits in the year to come. It might be said that 2017 has been “business as unusual” from a philanthropic perspective. The year began with the …Read More

by Lewis von Herrmann We expect those in certain professions to deal with human mortality on a regular basis. Doctors and other health care professionals, hospice workers and clergy, for instance, interact daily with the elderly or unwell. Yet many may not realize that development professionals also face mortality in the course of their work. …Read More

Searching for ways you can assist donors with their philanthropic planning? Consider furnishing them with a helpful tool they can use to help organize and implement their priorities—the Personal Financial Affairs Record booklet. Keeping important information in one place can be helpful for making plans today and for future reference. Available in two distinct formats, …Read More

by Robert Sharpe Nonprofit managers have spent the last 20 years hearing about the “Great American Wealth Transfer,” which was predicted to usher in a Golden Age of Philanthropy with trillions upon trillions of dollars expected to flow to the U.S. philanthropic world. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this charitable windfall hasn’t yet materialized. …Read More

The following article is Part 2 of a two-part series on non-probate estate settlement issues. Part 1 was published in the September 2017 Give & Take. Click here to read it. Last month, Give & Take began a conversation with Andy Fussner about the challenges of settling nonprobate estate gifts, which often come in the …Read More

  With tax reform on the horizon, this year-end may be an especially important time for fundraising. Below are four tips to make the most of the final months of the year. 1. Review your website. Look at your organization’s website from an outsider’s perspective. Is it donor friendly? Is it easy to discover how …Read More

By Barlow Mann With the IRS reporting record levels of noncash charitable gifts, an organization’s fundraising strategy could benefit from encouraging these gifts. According to the latest information from the IRS, noncash charitable gifts have recently increased to all-time record levels. The report, in the summer 2017 Statistics of Income Bulletin, analyzes millions of individual …Read More

Earlier this year the Internal Revenue Service released in-depth information from federal estate tax returns for 2013 decedents that provides valuable clues about charitable bequest behaviors of wealthy Americans. There were 11,309 estate tax returns filed for 2013 decedents, some 6,926 men and 4,383 women (see Figure 1). The vast majority of the decedents were …Read More

  As the Dow has hit record levels in recent months, it is important to note that this surge, along with a growing optimism among donors, coincides with the all-important year-end giving season. Given the rise in stock market values, many donors may feel more capable of making charitable gifts this fall. (Note the recent …Read More

An interview with Andy Fussner, Vice President of Estate Settlement for the American Heart Association, about non-probate estate gift settlement. The planned giving community has long encouraged donors to look at their retirement plans and life insurance policies along with their wills as a source for charitable giving. One quick and easy change to a …Read More