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Shauna Scherer, MPA, CFRE®, is a certified fundraising executive and senior vice president for advancement at Population Connection and Population Connection Action Fund in Washington, DC, where she oversees all fundraising initiatives. Sharpe Insights: How long have you worked for Population Connection? What is your other work experience? Shauna: I began my journey with Population…
Your organization’s gift planning website should be simple, clear and easy for older individuals (i.e., your best gift planning prospects) to use. When designing your site, the physical challenges your 65+ audience could be facing, such as a decline in vision, arthritic joints, hearing loss, reduced short-term memory and poor eye-hand coordination, should be considered….
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…
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!…
…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…
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, our recommendation is to make your planned giving website the best it can be. Here are some simple…
Origin Story The original use of the term “blended gifts” can be found in a presentation Robert Sharpe Jr. made at the Partners in Philanthropic Giving national conference in Anaheim in 1995. As the focal point of the presentation entitled “How Will the Baby Boomers Boom?”, he noted that the first baby boomers were approaching…
A few weeks ago, I had a very interesting interaction outside of work that reinforces Sharpe Group’s philosophy of the importance of relationship building with long-term donors. After learning how we work closely with nonprofit organizations, my new acquaintance explained that she recently had an unpleasant experience with one of her favorite charities. She was…
Planned Gift Defined: planned gift /’plænd gift/ n. A planned gift is any gift of any kind for any amount given for any purpose—operations, capital expansion or endowment—whether given currently or deferred, if the assistance of a professional staff person, qualified volunteer or the donor’s advisors is necessary to complete the gift. In addition, it…
From August 1972 Give & Take: “A donor usually considers a current gift to your institution as a cash outlay now. To make a deferred gift, a person decides to give at some future date, either a number of years from now or at death. A deferred gift is a present decision to make a…