Outright Gifts: Show me the “money!”Combining planned giving efforts with outright gifts is a hallmark of John Brown Limited’s philosophy. Promotion of planned gifts as an ideal alternative, and supplement, to cash and securities is how we work with all of our clients. Despite the difficulties involved in performing the integrated approach, discussing planned gifts with every outright gift solicitation protects the solicitor from leaving money on the table and provides the donor with an option of extending his or her gift to reflect his or her wishes. That said, outright gifts come with their own set of perceptual challenges. Helping your donor understand what those are can lead to much larger outright gifts, even if your donor decides not to include a planned giving component. What’s so complicated about an outright gift? Perception. Many people think of money as the only viable outright gift. In fact, it might be a car, house, antique rug or precious doll collection. Outright Truths Provide your donors with a document (as glossy and professional as your planned giving documents) that outlines general rules for deducting all types of charitable gifts. Last month, we discussed the importance of having collateral materials to support a planned giving program. Frankly, including a piece that teaches donors about outright gifts is a much overlooked element in a comprehensive collateral materials plan. The document should inform your donors about the rules for claiming their outright gifts and the penalties for noncompliance. Appraisers are under much more scrutiny than ever before. Help your donors by teaching them what counts as an appropriate appraisal and how claimed value must be proved, in IRS friendly terms. While we as development professionals are not financial advisors, we are responsible for removing the fiery hoops donors feel they jump through just to make a gift. Creating an educational piece to satisfy their curiosity (and eliminate their embarrassment at not knowing) about making the best outright gift possible will open doors to outright gifts you and your donor may not have known was possible.
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July 2006Archived Newsletters
June 2008:Archived Newsletters |
