Sharpe Insights Articles

’Tis the season! Even though it feels like summer in most of the country, the elves experts at Sharpe Group have been busy looking ahead to fall to create tools and strategies that can help our clients plan for a successful year-end. We are sharing a few to add to your “to-do” list: 1. Review …Read More

The worldwide pandemic has “officially” been over for some time, so now may be an ideal time to assess the health of your planned giving program and make adjustments going forward. And if your organization doesn’t have a planned giving program, the time to start one is now!   Relevant facts and figures   There …Read More

Though she is relatively new to the profession, Agnes Solatan has found her calling in the planned giving field. Sharpe Insights recently sat down with Agnes as she shared her experiences during her first nine months as associate director of planned giving at Washington National Cathedral. Sharpe Insights: What led you to the Cathedral? Agnes: …Read More

We are often asked by our clients which channel (print or digital) is the most effective way to identify and attract planned giving donors. Let’s answer that question with a question: Who remembers the Saturday Night Live “New Shimmer” skit with Chevy Chase? Is it a floor wax? Is it a dessert topping? It’s both! …Read More

According to an article published recently in The Wall Street Journal, Fidelity Investments, a popular IRA administrator, predicts that their clients’ required minimum distributions (RMDs) could hit $25 billion this year. Annual RMDs are calculated by taking the IRA account balance on Dec. 31 of the previous year and dividing it by the owner’s life …Read More

You Are Doing Everything Right, But … As planned gift fundraisers trying to meet or exceed goals, the focus is often on securing gift intentions. But that’s just part of your role. An important and challenging duty is bringing your donor’s intentions to actuality when they have passed away so their legacy gift objectives can …Read More

While he may not have a crystal ball, Sharpe Group’s planned giving guru, Barlow Mann, has decades of experience studying economic trends and their effects on gift planning. Here he offers sage advice for a successful year based on what he is seeing in the industry. Charitable gift annuities should be more attractive in the …Read More

…And Many, Many More We hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of Sharpe Group milestones as much as we have. From our founding in 1963 to today, those of us at Sharpe are grateful and honored to serve the nonprofit community. Did we miss one of your favorite memories? If so, we’d love to hear …Read More

One of the most beneficial tools Sharpe Group offers is helping our clients maintain up-to-date donor information. Years of extensive and detailed data studies contained in the Sharpe KnowledgeBase® have shown us that 20% of donor information changes each year. Is your donor data up to date? As I see it, failure to maintain current …Read More

While sometimes it’s tempting to create brand-new resolutions at the beginning of the New Year, most of the time it’s best to resolve to improve on a practice or habit you already have in place. For 2024, my recommendation is to make your planned giving website the best it can be. Here are some simple …Read More