Planned Giving

I recently opened paperwork from a donor who left our organization a grand total of $6. That gift touched me as much as a gift many times larger. Planned giving (all giving, really) is never about the amount of funds given—it's about helping the donor attain the ultimate joy in giving. No gift amount should be too large or too small...

It’s that time of year once again. #GivingTuesday and Dec. 31 are fast approaching. All charities are looking for year-end donations. However, are you forgetting something important? If you want to maximize year-end giving, you must seek planned gifts. Remember, not all planned gifts are deferred gifts; many are current contributions. Here are some types…

That’s right. “Planned giving” is bad for nonprofit fundraising. For years, I’ve been writing and talking about the problems with the term “planned giving.” Now, new research underscores what I’ve been advising: You should stop using the term! Sometime ago, The Stelter Company conducted a survey that I cited in my book, "Donor-Centered Planned Gift…

America's 200 million credit cardholders are better at accruing rewards than spending them. Last year, we failed to redeem about $16 billion worth of loyalty points, one survey showed. Apparently, what motivates us to get cards in the first place isn't the extras on offer. It's the simple convenience of having plastic when we need…

Everyone wants to leave a mark on the world (or at least within their own communities). The Boston College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy found that mark is often charitable donations. Between 2007 and 2061, there will be a "Great Wealth Transfer" during which an estimated $59 trillion (yes, with a “t”) will be transferred…

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, has donated 290,000 shares of Facebook stock—a market value of roughly $31 million—to a myriad of different charities, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission document filed Thursday. The shares were technically transferred to the Sheryl Sandberg Philanthropy Fund, a donor-advised fund that will take control of the stock…

Planned giving needs to be intentional. According to Giving USA, 8 percent of contributions in 2014 were in the form of bequests. That means nonprofit organizations received $10.75 billion as a result of people making gifts through their estates. We love the news reports of the organization that receives millions of dollars from someone it has never before heard of. But every day, unreported by any news agency in America, are the people who set aside a portion of their estates for charities they are supporting, have supported, have some affiliation with, or have benefitted from at some time.

Three heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune have given away hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the retailer’s shares to a family trust that finances its philanthropy. According to regulatory filings on New Year’s Eve, Alice Walton, the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, gave away 3.7 million of her Wal-Mart Stores shares on Dec.…

Want in on a little-known secret? Wealthy people aren’t the primary group leaving bequests to charities. In fact, according to the Institute of Charitable Giving, 82 percent of bequests come from donors with a net worth of less than $3 million. Planned giving refers to a charitable gift that an individual creates during his or her lifetime that will take effect after his or her passing. It’s a way for people to make a lasting gift to a cause that’s important to them. It can also provide tax benefits to the donor. ...

Like many of your donors, I hope, I have been actively doing some year-end giving. That included mailing gifts to 19 organizations that had responded to my article earlier this year, offering to make a donation to the organizations of the first 10 people who responded. (I just couldn’t stop at 10.) ...