Give & Take

Catholics are uniquely at odds with the accumulation of personal wealth. Perhaps, it is because the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles suggest a vocational lifestyle of communal frugality as the path towards salvation. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter2, verses 44-45 provides a microcosmic glance at the life of the early Church: And all who shared the faith owned everything in common; they sold their goods and possessions and distributed the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. Contemporary Catholics are not inclined to live a communal life; however, they are as part of the manifestation of the faith encouraged to share their resources with those in the Church that are not as privileged with material possessions and personal wealth. Thus, the dilemma for the modern Christian, to accumulate wealth or to live a life of austerity and frugality. There is indeed a dualism for the

I saw a blog post penned by another planned giving vendor. Its sole purpose: To trash the idea that fundraisers need a planned giving website. Very interesting ...

Did you know that more than 90% of planned gifts are beneficiary designations? And by simply promoting beneficiary designations to your prospects, your organization will see its endowment grow by leaps and bounds. [Here’s a handy Beneficiary Designations Gift Planning Toolkit you can use.] Why? What makes this particular planned gift so attractive? It’s the simplicity. Giving a beneficiary designation is literally as easy as filling out a form. The form names the individuals and charities you want to support, and specifies the percentage of the assets you want each beneficiary to receive.  They are very simple to give, easy to arrange, and usually do not require an attorney. So what’s the easiest way to market them? By mailing at least 4 postcards on beneficiary designations to your donors and prospects this year. Do not try to get creative with award-winning designs. Just concentrate on getting the word out. It

Here are ten tips that I’ve developed by studying — and emulating — the habits of people who live the good life.

  Wondering What’s Ahead? Stop speculating and find out what the movement to merge planned giving with major gifts and principal gifts really means. Download our special report [PDF; instant free download]. Our panel of six industry experts covers topics including, “What are the pros and cons of a merge?” “What are the implications for planned giving as a specialty?” “When is it time to ‘outsource’ gift planning?” and “What can the car industry teach the philanthropy sector? Jeff Comfort Camilyn Leone, Esq. Dr. Scott Janney Scott Lumpkin Lisa Repko Lynne Ierardi, JD   Download our Special Report. Thanks to Dr. Rebecca Janney for conducting the interviews. New to planned giving? Learn how gift planning vehicles work (a 100 mile high review with videos). Or purchase The Ultimate Quick Reference Planned Giving Pocket Guide. Categories: Giving, Self Improvement

The face of philanthropy is changing: Researchers found that many donors want to talk with an advisor before they'll even approach a nonprofit to discuss their intentions.

Two great quotes from Mario Andretti: “If everything seems under control you are not going fast enough.” and “Don’t look at the wall.”

What does wanting to meet (and marry) a rich guy have to do with planned giving? More than you think, and it all boils down to the meaning of the word "rich." This puts "I want to meet a rich donor" in a whole new light.

“Dad, you are sitting on Apple stock. Why don’t you donate some, avoid capital gains tax, get a deduction, and receive guaranteed income for life—some of it tax-free?” “Is that legal?” he asked.

Creating marketing content yourself is an excuse of not doing your job. You can easily upset donors, board members and lose opportunities.

Testimonials by satisfied donors, or by recipients of your organization’s services, automatically carry more credibility than anything you could say about yourself. They are an important part of your planned giving marketing message because they tell a potential donor what you can't.