Unlike all of the other planned giving mechanisms, a bequest program doesn’t require major technical expertise and specific financial instruments. It’s easy, it’s fast, it can pay off substantially, and the dollars from bequests comprise close to 90% of all planned gifts. Many non-profit organizations refuse to get into planned giving because of the perception …
Finance/
Financing & Loans
I’m taking a hiatus from bequests to help you get IRA gifts for your year-end appeal. Passed on January 1, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 renewed charitable giving from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for those 70-and-a-half or older. This gift opportunity ends on December 31 so the remaining months of the year …
There comes a time when some non-profit development professionals begin thinking about saying goodbye to their organizations and hello to the world of fundraising consulting. They want to know what it takes to be a consultant, and how to find clients. Although the consulting profession may seem attractive, the leap into this hazardous arena requires …
Although everyone knows that benefits are extremely important in government grant proposals for nonprofits, I am constantly astonished at how many proposals are all features and few, if any, benefits. This is a serious omission because the lack of explicit benefits almost always means that the proposal will be unpersuasive to reviewers. Everything in your …
My response to an email from an Executive Director…. You indicated that it is your “goal to eventually turn over all operations to [your VP] and assume a position as Board Chair … [so] that [you] might be able to continue to form the basic direction of the intended purpose of the organization.” Non-profit organizations …
Guidelines & Resources for Consulting Action Planning In my June 6th post, I discussed the preparation of financials for grant proposals and introduced the team members integral to this effort. This month’s post will continue with a review of budget templates, and details on what to include in budget narratives and budget justifications: Budget Templates: …
During a board meeting, many years ago, an influential and highly respected trustee declared, “What we need is more endowment. We ought to have a $20 million endowment campaign.” Being a trustee of influence and affluence, all heads nodded in agreement with him. Hearing that declaration made with no justification, and no warning, I was …