The End of an Error: How to Write an Email That Gets Read
The convenience of sending all those digital communiques zipping through cyberspace with a mere keystroke has caused us to forget some basic rules and best practices about emails — and good communication in general. Here are a few tips that will help your next email not only get read, but make a good impression and maybe even inspire your reader to take action.
Football, Fumbled Estate Planning, and a $45 Million Tax Bill
If you’ve ever wondered just how important good estate planning is, take a look at this terrifying tale of high-net-worth horror about a family that lost $45 million—nearly half their estate’s value—to federal taxes. The worst part? The massive tax loss could have easily been prevented with some foresight, planning, and expert advice.
Seniors, Technology, and Wealth
As long as technology has existed, there’s been a perception that seniors are not just slow to adopt it, but resistant to use it. Some fundraisers still say things like, “Our donors are all older, so they aren’t online.” Well, we dug into the facts and figures about seniors and technology in 2024 … and what we learned blows those skeptics completely out of the water.
A Little Known Tip for Harvesting Gains and Avoiding Taxes (Legally)
As you are likely aware, you can avoid long-term capital gains tax while maximizing tax deductions through charitable stock gifting. Read this article to see how the tax savings can stack up.
The Blended Gift Is Here. Are You Prepared?
To fully empower our donors, fundraisers must consider the long-term within the major giving sphere. Think about it – You cultivate, you discover. You steward, you engage. You ask … and you receive! You thank … and then what? You drop and move on to the next prospect, the next check?
The Verbal Promise
A donor makes a verbal promise to include a planned gift for your organization in their will, but they never send you a signed intention form. Then the donor dies. How do you ask the family if the gift was included in the donor’s estate plan? This type of situation happens frequently.
Planned Giving Excels at the Speed of Trust
Sometimes a board member or nonprofit will ask us, “Why planned giving? People are giving us annual gifts and we don’t want to impact that source of revenue.” Unfortunately, this is the logic that keeps among the 99% of nonprofits that do not pursue planned gifts. Here’s how to join the top 1%.
Why Planned Giving?
Making a difference can seem daunting. The good news is you are not alone in being the change. There are more than 1.8 million nonprofits registered in the US working toward your same dreams. Your estate planning and other heavily taxed assets can be your greatest tools (and your greatest savings) in partnering with nonprofits to make the change you want to see.
Planned Giving is for You — Yes, You.
Donors Flock to Reliability, Predictability, and Trust
It’s tempting to think about marketing as a collection of traditional outreach. Sure, part of it is which we have been offering for years. Display ads, postcards, surveys, tag lines, digital media, videos — the list goes on. But marketing is more than that. Marketing also includes things you might not immediately think of.
A Really Tough Planned Giving Conversation
What would you do if you had a verbal commitment for a planned gift—and the donor died before putting it into writing? It happens more often than you’d think. Here’s a real-world example of how stewardship can save the day.
