Category: Financing & Loans

For local charities that want to apply to the CFC as an independent local charity (and not as a member of a federation), for most of the more than 200 regional CFCs, the applications are accepted between late February and the end of March.

Each local CFC sets its own specific application deadline, and the instructions on where to e-mail, mail or deliver the local applications are different for each CFC, but all 200 regional CFCs can be located from the central OPM.gov/CFC website. For example, this is some of the information from the Texas Gulf Coast area, which includes Houston.
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Texas Gulf Coast CFC (CFC 0845)
Austin, Bolivar Peninsula, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Colorado, Fort Bend,
Galveston Island, Grimes, Harris, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison,
Mainland Galveston, Matagorda, Montgomery, Polk, Robertson,
San Jacinto, Waller, Walker, Washington, and Wharton Counties in Texas
2011 Results: $2,896,212.00

The 2013 CFC Texas Gulf Coast application period will be from:
March 1, 2013 – March 30, 2013

Applications, which include instructions, will be available on the Application tab on the “Gulf Coast” website on March 1, 2013. 2012 applicants will receive the applications electronically via the email address on file in the Texas Gulf Coast CFC database. Agencies not in the Texas Gulf Coast CFC that provided email addresses will also receive the applications.

New potential applicants that want to receive electronic copies of the applications must send an email to: info@cfctexasgulfcoast.org

The memorandum on Requirements provides direction for a pro forma IRS Form 990.

2012 CFC participants, should review the CFC memorandum at 2013 Eligibility. It provides guidance on several parts of the requirements for the CFC to be implemented in the 2013 application period.
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Other resources that are on the OPM.gov/CFC website include the CFC logo in multiple formats and in both color and black and white files. As mentioned in earlier posts, the CFC logo is one of the million dollar benefits provided by the CFC that CFC charities should take advantage of. The CFC logo has a high recognition factor among potential Federal donors, and it is free for use by CFC charities. The logos can be found at the www.opm.gov/cfc/ under the Reference Materials tab.

Review Your 25 Word Description
Each CFC charity gets a 25-word description in the CFC catalog, this is one of the most important marketing tools a charity has, and it is often ignored. It needs to be accurate, but it is a marketing message, so review the one for your charity and make sure it makes sense. If your charity has been in the CFC for several years, make sure that if it needs updating, that you update it.
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Upcoming in the March 28th post:
Massive changes are being proposed to how the CFC operates, and my next post will have an introduction to these changed regulations, along with guidance on how to comment on proposed Federal regulations to make sure they address the concerns of CFC non-profits.
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach, served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions, contact … Bill Huddleston
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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I’m not enough of a philosopher or debater to extend the discussion of ethics much beyond the development arena, so I’ll address the concept in that context; and, even though it sounds as if I’m making statements of fact, I acknowledge that these are my opinions and that not everyone would agree with me.

The definition/application of ethics has little to do with “accepted norms.” Many actions/activities become generally “accepted” by society, but acceptance or common practice doesn’t equal ethical practice.

Honesty is, of course, an element of ethical behavior, but they are not equivalent concepts. I can imagine circumstances where being dishonest would not be unethical — i.e., complimenting my wife on her appearance in a new dress that I hate.

Ethics for fundraising counsel, as I learned the concept, has to do with ensuring that our behavior keeps in mind the best interests of the NPO and of the donor, with the understanding that what we do under contract — and what we advise the client to do is not to benefit ourselves, but the donor, the client and those the client serves.

An ethical system (as in the code that AFP and others have promulgated) defines itself not as “regulating/controlling” certain behaviors, but in precluding behaviors that could have undesired (unethical) outcomes.

Under a code of ethics, we are precluded from thinking, in hindsight, that since everything came out o.k. and no one was hurt, that the action/activity must have been ethical.

People (my clients, at least) should be able to say that, “Hank Lewis subscribes to the XYZ Code of Ethics, therefore we can rest assured that there are certain things he’d never do, certain circumstances that can never occur, that certain questions will never be raised, and that we can be comfortable….

Of course, it would help if my (prospective) clients were aware of the existence of such a code, and that I subscribed to it. Sad thing is that most people — most NPOs — haven’t a clue.

So, bottom line, I, like you, do what I do and refrain from doing other things that wouldn’t feel right. That AFP wrote it down on paper only helps me put it into words. And, honestly, some of what’s in the code I had not considered before being exposed to it. My reaction, on hearing those concepts and (in some cases) having them explained to me, was to say, “Of course, that makes great sense.”

I don’t find an ethical code to be in the category of telling-me-what-to-do-or-how-to-do-it. It just reminds me of the kind of impact on others that (hopefully) I would want to avoid anyway.

I guess an ethical code has to do with consideration for how our actions will — or could — impact others.

For a number of years I taught a (2 hour) class in Fundraising Ethics as part of a certificate program in fundraising management. The hardest task for me was in not just coming out and telling the participants what actions/activities are acceptable or unacceptable. My role, as I saw it, was to pose “hypotheticals” to get them to discuss how they’d react.

But, as it turned out, no matter what the question, the class always split in their opinions/reactions/thoughts – and that split was usually along income/cultural lines.
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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Last month I defined Planned Giving.

Why have a Program? I’ve got a few reasons.

Build lifetime relationships. When a donor tells you they’ve put you in their estate or retirement plan, you’ve got the rest of their life to thank them. And you should take every opportunity. Draw them close to your work by inviting them to events; offering insider emails and print pieces; picking up the phone to say, “I was thinking of you;” dropping them a handwritten note or card; and generally showing your charity’s gratitude for their gift. Sincerity need not cost a lot.

Build endowment. Most gifts by will are unrestricted and I routinely encourage clients to put as much unrestricted gift revenue as possible into endowment. I know it’s hard, but do it. Restricted gifts that are non-expendable belong in your endowment without question—and in many states, by law. If you don’t have a Planned Giving program, don’t you wish your office had started it years ago? What size would your endowment be today and how much revenue would it produce each year? This is the time to start—or expand—your endowment.

Grow other giving. It’s not unusual for those who invest in your charity for the rest of their lives, to increase their cash giving as they get more familiar with your good work. See the value of those lifetime relationships I mentioned?

Welcome people of low or modest means. Most of the planned gifts have no lifetime cost. Think of the bequest in a will or naming your charity as beneficiary of an individual retirement account. They come from your donor’s estate and cost nothing while she’s living. For lots of people, Planned Giving offers the only way they can make their ultimate gift to you. They’d like to do it now but can’t afford to. Welcome those people and give them an opportunity.

Help through the next recession. People die irrespective of the unemployment rate, the state of the economy and earnings on the NASDAQ and Dow Jones averages. When money is tight in your office because other sources of revenue like lifetime individual giving, government contracts and foundations have constricted, cash still flows from your donors’ wills, life insurance, pensions, IRAs, charitable trusts and other planned gifts.

Look to these if you need to convince a reluctant boss or board why they should let you start a Planned Giving program. Tell them, “There’s gold in them there wills!”

Next month’s third Thursday: “What You Need To Get Planned Giving Started.”
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Tony Martignetti, Esq. is the host of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. He’s a Planned Giving consultant, speaker, author, blogger and stand-up comic. You’ll find him at TonyMartignetti.com.
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

A Reader wrote: “Even after 18 years in development, and earning the CFRE credential, I still have a hard time making the mental adjustment from thinking about our clients’ and organization’s needs to thinking about the needs of the donor. And it’s a totally foreign concept to my Executive Director.

“I also have difficulty understanding how one can ask for a major gift that is not for construction, or renovation, or major equipment, or some other kind of one-time expense.

“We have only asked for unrestricted operating support from our donors, and for program-specific support we write grant applications.

“Our donors are wary of making a major gift because they fear they will then be expected to give at that level from then on. How do you deal with that, when, in fact, we do hope that the long-term effect will be an increased level of on-going support.”
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One thing that the CFRE program/process doesn’t teach/emphasize is that the development operation at a nonprofit is different/separate from the program side.

The focus of development/fundraising is and must be to create the relationships that will produce the funding to support the programs. (And, by the way, I held the CFRE credential for twenty years … and taught preparation courses for the CFRE exam.)

As a development officer, your focus must be on the needs of the donor, and how satisfying those needs will result in the funding needed to satisfy the needs of your clients. If you can’t show a donor how, by making a gift to your organization, s/he will be satisfying his/her own needs, then you can’t come anywhere near reaching your fundraising potential.

Everyone at a nonprofit should be an “expert” in the areas in which they function: program officers, those who provide service to clients, must have the experience and insight to be able to deal with the needs of client’s … and how to satisfy those needs. That is not the role of the development officer.

A development officer does not provide direct service to a nonprofit’s clients. A development officer provides “service” (cultivation/stewardship) to an NPO’s (potential) donors.

The attitudes/perspectives you describe for yourself and your executive director don’t deal with all of the realities. From what you said, above, there seems to be a lack of understanding of the role/purpose/focus of development (see: “Development” and “Fundraising” Are Not Synonymous

Also, in the CFRE process, there is no discussion to the effect that all major gifts should be restricted to capital/emergency purposes. Major gifts are, very often, part of an organization’s unrestricted operating support. (See: “What Is A Major Gift?”)

That your organization relies solely on grants for program support is, at the least, shortsighted. With a proper development program, you could likely identify other potential clients who would benefit from your service … and provide them with that service.

And, finally, that you believe that your donors are wary of making major gifts suggests that they are not motivated to do so – that their needs are not being identified/considered/addressed.

To readers of this blog, let me add one additional thought. The CFRE credentialing process is available to those with a minimum of five years in the field. The credential is designed to be “evidence” that the holder has demonstrated (by passing a written exam and meeting other criteria) an understanding of the basic principles of development. “CFRE” does not equate to “expert.”
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

Grant proposals should go through a five-step writing process:
•  Plan: Think through your proposal section.
•  Organize: Use the grant guidelines as your outlining format.
•  Write: Write in a free-flowing manner.
•  Examine: Step back from your writing; review it later; then, let others review it.
•  Revise: Emphasize clarity, conciseness, correctness, and persuasiveness.

I already have discussed planning, organizing, and writing. In this post, I will outline the process of examining and revising your grant prose. The more kinds of effective reviews you receive, the better will be your final version.

Examine: The Big Picture

All reviews should answer these questions:
•  Can the focus on the funder be improved?
•  Is the funder focus communicated sincerely”
•  How can strategies and theme statements be strengthened with stories, data, and other kinds of evidence?

Revision Stage 1: Be clear

•  Write effective theme statements.
•  Keep introductions brief.
•  Keep the focus on the funder.
•  Organize according to the points emphasized in the grant guidelines.
•  Highlight key information.

Revision Stage 2: Be concise

•  Revise paragraphs.
•  Revise sentences.
•  Revise words.

Revision Stage 3: Be correct and compliant with the grant guidelines.

•  Check your sections against the grant guidelines’ evaluation criteria.
•  Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
•  Use the shortest and most correct word.
•  Simplify, simplify, simplify.

If you follow these steps in revising your proposal writing, you should be able to produce a very good revised version of your proposal sections.
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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc.,
helps nonprofit organizations develop successful proposals to government agencies.
Contact Jayme Sokolow.
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Look for Jayme’s ebook on Finding & Getting Federal Government Grants. It’s part of The Fundraising Series of ebooks
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

The following is an excerpt from a listserve discussion regarding the ethics of donor confidentiality:

I can’t imagine someone saying, while they’re being interviewed for a development position, “Well, I know Mr./Ms. Gotbucks, but I can’t make the initial contact with him/her if you hire me because I met him … a few years ago while I was on the development staff of a different nonprofit.” It would seem to me, that the ethical standard exists to keep people from stealing lists and intellectual property – not to keep a fundraiser from calling someone they happened to meet while working somewhere else.”

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Of course the standard exists to keep people from stealing lists and intellectual property, but the major focus is the protection of the donor – and his/her right to privacy/confidentiality.

The Code* was designed (over time, and with much revision) to protect NPOs, their constituents and (primarily) their donors.

If the (Gotbucks) reference is to an officer of a foundation or corporation, there is no conflict implied in your scenario. If it is an individual donor, you’d have to ask whether there was a relationship between that donor and the development person, outside of the donor/org relationship.

If, in fact the two people became friends, then there’s no prohibition in the code to prevent a friend from calling a friend. If, however, the contact was limited to “official” transactions, then the development officer can only take with him/her that which is common knowledge in the community. Ideally, the “relationship” is between the donor and the organization, not between the donor and the staff person.

If it is known that the person has a passion for and likes to give to cultural institutions, then a contact from another such NPO would not be inappropriate. But, if that information was not commonly known, and was known to the development officer only as a consequence of his/her former position, then that officer is obligated to “forget” that information.

One of the purposes of the code is to protect the donor’s right to have information gathered by an NPO maintained as confidential. It is also to recognize that the NPO made an investment in the research/education/cultivation process, and to protect that investment.

If this were merely a philosophical discussion, the bottom line would be that the development officer couldn’t/shouldn’t do anything that would violate the rights of others — individuals or corporations.

But, since it is a common question in fundraising, all of the “rules” were designed to protect NPOs, their constituencies and their ability to serve their constituencies. They were not set up to protect development officers or other staff of the NPO.

(*The AFP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards can be found at: http://www.afpnet.org/Ethics/EnforcementDetail.cfm?itemnumber=3261)

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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

In my last post (on Dec. 6) I outlined the first four sections to be included in a grant proposal to a private or corporate foundation: the Cover Letter, Executive Summary, Contact Information, and General Organization Overview.

This month’s post will continue with the three additional sections to include in these grant proposals:

Program Description – this is the heart of your proposal – and it includes a number of subsections:
•  Needs Statement – describe the community needs or problems to be addressed by your program and why this issue is important. Check back for more about needs statements in an upcoming blog post.
•  Target Population – describe who will be served by this grant, how many will be served, and what are the demographics of this population (gender, age, income, etc.)
•  Program Goals & Objectives – what will your organization do to address the community needs or problems described above? Your goals will be broader in scope than your objectives and can also be described in terms of the long-term outcomes your organization hopes to achieve through this program. Objectives are narrower and more specific, and often shorter in duration.
•  Program Activities & Timeline – your Goals and Objectives are the “What” and your Activities & Timeline are the “How” and the “When.” What activities and/or services do you intend to engage in or provide? Include specifics such as how much, how often, and how long these will be provided.
•  Evaluation – program evaluation is becoming increasingly critical in winning grants. Potential funders want – and need – to know how you will determine if your programs are successful, and by extension, if their money will be well spent. Some tips that I will include in an upcoming blog post on program evaluation are: work with your program staff to define the goals, outcomes and metrics for their programs; use quantitative metrics to evaluate program effectiveness; define whether you will conduct an internal evaluation or hire an outside evaluator; and use your evaluation findings to modify program design.
•  Personnel – list the staff responsible for your program, and include a brief summary of their professional qualifications. Also include any volunteer needs that will ensure the success of your program, and if there are specific staff and/or volunteer training needs for your program.
•  Collaboration – will your organization collaborate with any other service providers on this program? What is your past experience collaborating with this/these organization(s), what is/are their roles in this program, and what is/are their expertise? Some foundations will also require letters of support or MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding) from these collaborators.

Financial Information – this is another critical section of grant proposals that is receiving increasing scrutiny from grant reviewers. This section should include – or reference – your line-item program budget, sometimes a budget narrative, and always a statement of program sustainability (ie: how will you sustain the program after funding from this foundation ends). Check back for more about program budgets and financial information in an upcoming blog post.

Attachments – another boilerplate section. Most foundations will require your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, a list of your Board of Directors and their professional affiliations, your organization’s operating budget for the current fiscal year, your program budget for the grant period (if not detailed in the proposal), and your most recent annual report. Many foundations will also require your audited financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year, your IRS Form 990, and a list of your foundation and corporate grantors, including grant award amounts.
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Lynn deLearie Consulting, LLC, helps nonprofit organizations develop, enhance and expand grants programs, and helps them secure funding from foundations and corporations. Contact Lynn deLearie.
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Look for Lynn’s ebook on Grants & Grantsmanship. It’s part of The Fundraising Series of ebooks
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

We are often cautioned: “Don’t discuss religion and politics.” But why not? They’re a pretty big part of our total being, our livelihood and our spiritual lives !!

The “politics” thing, however, does have me walking with some care on what is often a rocky and sometimes perilous path – in these days of political topics so hot as to be overheated.

The all-too-frequent appearances on television of the “talking heads” with their polar opposite arguments keep the flames burning, and one of the arguments making the rounds these days does particularly tick me off.

That is the strong and intrusive idea of what to do with the money earned by the rich. Many of those firebrands who are belligerent about those who are “too” rich, tend to have difficulty defining what level of income is too much.

Who decides this anyway?

I have a strong and unwavering opinion regarding the “get-the-rich” attitude by all too many people in the U.S. And it’s an opinion based neither on left nor right, nor progressive, nor capitalist, ideology.

With nearly 40 years as a non-profit fund-raising professional under my belt, I have never seen or heard about a single building construction or a renovation of a facility for any charity whether it be food bank, nursing home, abuse or homeless shelter, animal rescue facility, education structure, arts and culture building, religious facility, hospital, etc. which was not paid for with contributions mainly and mostly from the rich.

Most always, such fund-raising campaigns have about 85% or more of the money raised coming from only about 15% or less of the donors. That funding ratio counts on there being people capable of making large gifts—the rich. If we had to rely on the middle class, even at its higher end, it would be a long wait for those capital projects. Nor can we expect the poor to be able to provide a lion’s share of the needed funds. After all, they are the ones in need—the ones the rich are making gifts to benefit.

Without the rich and a tax code that encourages giving, philanthropy as we know it would most likely take a drastic downturn. If we tax all their social capital away from the rich, we may find ourselves relying on a single funder—the government—to support the social good delivered by non-profit organizations. I, for one, am not ready to go that route.

Let’s take care that we don’t eliminate the goose that lays the golden egg by declaring war on the concept of being rich.
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If you have a question or comment for Tony, he can be reached at Tony@raise-funds.com. There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website: Raise-Funds.com
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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When I saw a line in a listserve posting referencing that phrase, it took me back to my early days (30+ years ago) in fundraising.

Back then, the phrase, “Give ‘Til It Hurts,” was part of the lexicon of the capital campaign. It was a simpler time, folks were a lot less self-centered than people appear to be today, and many capital campaigns (depending on circumstances) could get away with that language.

The idea, back in the “old days,” was that, if the campaign was to fund an “urgent” need in the community, then members of the community were “obligated” to sacrifice in order to satisfy that need.

My first few years in fundraising was as an itinerant director-of-capital-campaigns for (small) hospitals. In those communities, it was usually accepted, without question, that the “need” was “urgent,” and that, in order to provide for the health-care needs of the community, members of that community had to give “sacrificially” – ‘til it hurt.

The line, “Give ‘til it hurts,” was eventually replaced with, “Give ‘til it feels good.” But both lines have become trite, and tend to be difficult to say or hear without a grimace.

These days, major donors are just too sophisticated and too experienced in the nonprofit sector, phrases like the above are (hopefully) no longer in use.

Of course, in a community where there really is a sense of community, people are still making sacrifices … even (sometimes) in their giving. The focus, now, from the donor’s perspective, is most often not on what’s best for the community, but how their giving will satisfy their own needs.

Now that’s not necessarily bad. For too long nonprofit organizations felt/thought/believed that people should support them just because of the wonderful things they did. It was always about the needs of the organization and the people it served.

Today, if an organization wants people to support it, they have to think in terms of how a donor’s gift will satisfy BOTH the needs of the organization and the needs of the donor.

And, the reason why that’s not a bad thing…. If a nonprofit can show/help a donor understand how his/her gift will satisfy his/her own needs while helping others, then the donor is more likely to continue supporting that nonprofit.
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.

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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

“A method of charitable giving that involves the donor’s consideration of their retirement plan and family estate plan, and usually means cash to a charity at the donor’s death.”

I’ve been relying on that definition for years of public speaking and training. It’s easy, short and accurate. Others may quibble. It’s served me well for 15 years of Planned Giving fundraising.

Deeply personal factors come into play when your prospect decides whether to include your nonprofit in her estate or retirement plan. She’s thinking about her husband’s, children’s and grandchildren’s needs; maybe her parents’ long-term care; and other relatives. Even dear friends may come into the picture.

It’s a uniquely personal decision whether to include a person—or charity—in one’s will.

I talk about the charitable bequest because it’s the place to kick-off any Planned Giving program, irrespective of your charitable mission or size. I’ll have a lot more to say about that in future articles.

Who do we include in our wills?

You’ll be asking prospects to put your charity alongside husbands, children, grandchildren, parents and close friends.

That’s a revered place for you to be. No one loves a nonprofit as much as family, but you rank pretty high. You’ve got to treat that gift with the respect it deserves.

I hope you recognize that the gift is made at the time she tells you she’s included you in her will, or used some other method to make a gift. The gift is now. It will be cash to your organization at her death, but she’s made a gift today. Steward that gift accordingly.

You don’t say thank you only once. You thank your planned gift donors when you first learn of their intention, and many times after.

I’ll say more about stewardship—including simple, inexpensive ideas—in future posts.

Some practitioners say the gift “accrues” or “matures” at your donor’s death. Though there’s probably video of me using those somewhere, I try to avoid them. They’re technical and jargony.

I want to make Planned Giving accessible. I want you to understand it.

My signature seminar is “Planned Giving Demystified.” I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that mine was the first Planned Giving program they understood.

That’s enormously gratifying. It’s also disconcerting. Too many speakers and writers are talking over the heads of hard-working fundraisers trying to get a grasp on a subject that has a technical side to it but that at the outset—encouraging gifts by will—need not be out of reach.

You don’t have to be a technical expert to have a wildly successful Planned Giving program.

My definition above mentions that cash usually comes to your charity at death. The exceptions are gifts directly from IRAs—when those were allowed—and a fancy, uncommon trust (the charitable lead trust).

In my Planned Giving series, I’ll focus on gifts that get you cash at your donor’s death, and are easy to understand.

Next month, “Why Have A Planned Giving Program?” What’s the value to your organization?

Welcome to the series!

My thanks to Hank Lewis for inviting me to be part of this blog.

Starting next month, February, Tony’s posts will appear on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
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Tony Martignetti, Esq. is the host of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. He’s a Planned Giving consultant, speaker, author, blogger and stand-up comic. You’ll find him at TonyMartignetti.com.
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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