Guardianship

Before you promote gift vehicles or launch campaigns, your team needs to understand how estate planning actually works — and why donors plan the way they do.

This category covers the core concepts that fundraisers, development officers, and nonprofit leaders must master first. How charitable intent is formed, documented, and carried out. How assets actually pass from donors to charities. And where the process breaks down.

The articles here explain wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, guardianship considerations, and the basic mechanics of estate transfer — in plain language, without legal clutter or academic theory.

Why does this matter? Because most planned gifts fail not due to lack of generosity, but due to confusion. When fundraisers understand the fundamentals, they ask better questions, communicate with confidence, and help donors move from intention to action — without overstepping legal boundaries.

These posts are especially useful for professionals who want to:

• Ask better questions in donor conversations
• Avoid the misunderstandings that stall gifts
• Build credibility with donors and their advisors
• Support legacy strategies that actually close

Start here if you want a clear, grounded understanding of how planned giving works — before tactics, tools, or campaigns enter the picture.