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No One Needs a Will.
The Government Will Take Care of It For You.

Roman Blum is living – no, scratch that – irrevocable proof that some people with the most to give never do, because they left one simple thing undone.

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Taking the Social Media Pulse on Campus

Just returned from a visit to a university in New England. Had an interesting conversation with their e-marketing guru.

I asked about using social media to promote their foundation.

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One…

I recently made a presentation at the Phoenix Planned Giving Council.

What a great group of people!

Carrie Kinnear passed out this poem at the end titled…

One

One tree can start a forest.
One smile can begin a friendship.
One hand can lift a soul.
One word can frame the goal.
One candle can wipe out darkness.
One laughter can conquer gloom.
One hope can raise our spirits.
One touch can show you care.
One life can make the difference.
Be that one today.


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Forget Social Media

We ran a similar article two years ago… and our opinion has not changed.
Few non-profits succeed with Facebook. Why? Because they neglect the time and effort needed to do it right.
Successful social networking requires:
Circular promotions from all venues
Constant day-to-day monitoring
Publications to your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn sites
Embracing the online social networking culture
Cultivating participation
Creating engagement activities
This is work. Even the miraculous Internet will not give you something for nothing (that’s why Viagra spammers are dying). And this is why you must approach Facebook marketing with a results-based mindset. If you can’t or won’t measure ROI, it’s not going to work.
Now, we are not opposed to social media — so hold all hate mail. But don’t Facebook due to peer pressure. Because a little bit of this and a little bit of that and hopping from this year’s hype and hoopla to the next will distract you from venues that are already getting you results.
All the followers in the world will jump on the social networking bandwagon with little or no evaluation and waste all kinds of dollars and time. The leaders will evaluate it and execute it if they feel it serves their interests. Or, they will move on to what gets results. The real question is, are you a leader or a follower?
Another thing to take into account is: Is your non profit a good fit for social media? One of our clients has over 600,000 followers. It’s a women’s breast cancer organization. Breast cancer affects the woman, husband, children and friends. Such an organization is a perfect fit as there are emotions involved. Everyone is affected and everyone cares. Should I also add that this organization has someone dedicated to social media 48 hours a week? That is, he does nothing but focus on social media.
Social media is like any other marketing vector. It’s serious work and requires real effort. So ignore peer pressure and do it if you have commitment and resources to do it right.

We ran a similar article two years ago… and our opinion has not changed.

Few non-profits succeed with Facebook or social media. Why? Because they neglect the time and effort needed to do it right. Read more »


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Donor Advised Funds: A Pleasant Opportunity

By Brian Sagrestano, JD, CFRE

Over the last several years, there has been an explosion in the popularity of donor-advised funds, with over $37.43 billion held in such funds at the end of 2011.

While the figures are not yet available for 2012, the large, national Donor-Advised Funds such as Vanguard Charitable, National Philanthropic Trust, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and Schwab Charitable reported dramatic increases in donations at year-end due to fears about potential future limitations on the deductibility of charitable gifts.

Donor-Advised Funds are a charitable giving vehicle that allow donors to make a charitable gift to the sponsoring public charity now, and later advise that charity to make distributions to other charities in the future. They are often seen as a replacement for, or cheaper alternative to, family foundations.

In the typical case, the donor sets up a Donor-Advised Fund with the sponsoring charity, making gifts as the donor sees fit. Over time, the donor then requests (”advises”) that the sponsoring charity make distributions to other charities of the donor’s choice. When the donor passes away,

  • A replacement advisor can be named,
  • The fund can terminate with the remaining assets going to the sponsoring charity in a variety of forms,
  • Or the donor can request that one or more charities receive the final proceeds from the fund.

With the increase in overall assets in these funds, assets that donors have already allocated to charity, this is an additional pool of resources your donors can use to make a planned gift to your organization. By naming your nonprofit as the final beneficiary of the Donor-Advised Fund, you could receive substantial benefits.


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Financial Advisors – “Do You Catch the Dream?”

Tell the truth – does Charitable Planning even show up on your radar?

It should.

With Charitable Planning, you can be a facilitator for good and generate revenue at the same time.

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Don’t Keep Them Bottled Up! Gifts of Appreciated Stuff Are Much Appreciated

By Viken Mikaelian

Some of you who never read Forbes Magazine might think it’s just a stuffy business periodical, but how stuffy can a magazine really be when it runs an article celebrating “investment-grade” Scotch whiskey, as Forbes recently did?

Sounds whimsical, but it’s for real. And with dollar values per fifth reaching five and six figures, what nonprofit wouldn’t appreciate a gift of such a very special bottle of booze? Read more »


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It’s Not Over When It’s Over!
Fundraisers Respond to
“2013: What to Tell Your Prospects”

By Viken Mikaelian

We hoped to reach out to the fundraising community with helpful news and analysis about the recent tax law changes, and informed opinion about what might be coming in 2013. Webinar attendees said we were exceptional, and many stayed overtime with their questions.

Though that’s not really a surprise, of course…

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Beneficiary Designations?
Better Ask About the Donor-Advised Fund.

By Brian M. Sagrestano, JD, CFRE

Due to the recent  uncertainty about whether the government would limit income tax charitable deduction as part of its effort to raise tax revenues, many high-net worth donors have made very significant additions to their donor-advised funds.

These donor-advised funds, particularly the ones at Fidelity, Schwab and Vanguard are now some of the largest charities in the world by capitalization.
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The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Its Impact on Charitable Giving

[Webinar on this topic - click here]

By Brian M. Sagrestano, JD, CFRE

On January 1, 2013, the Congress passed the bi-partisan, 157-page American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

This new law makes permanent several expiring tax provisions passed in 2001 and 2003 and includes a wide variety of other provisions, including “tax-extenders” (tax code rules that are usually re-authorized on a regular basis but not made permanent).

The Act does not renew a temporary payroll tax “holiday” for earners. This means that most working Americans will see a 2% decrease in take-home pay starting with their first paycheck in 2013.

You should be aware The Affordable Care Act of 2010 also imposes new taxes to help offset healthcare cost increases. Its significant provisions are also noted below.

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