The Disbursement Quota is a hot topic in the charitable world. There are strong advocates for changing the existing rules, most notably raising the 3.5% minimum spending threshold on long-term assets. So given this renewed attention on the DQ, I thought it might be fun...
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Over the decade, the influx of commercial donor-advised funds (i.e. DAFs operating under the brand of a financial institution) into the charitable marketplace has raised the eyebrow of many Canadian fundraising professionals. Will these DAFs take money away from my cause? While the institutional donor-advised...
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In many sophisticated fundraising organizations, there is still a sharp dichotomy between major and planned gifts. As a fundraising professional, I cannot, for the life of me, understand this how this approach truly benefits the donor. Despite the growing professionalism of the non-profit sector, there...
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So you’re strolling down Queen Street West in downtown Toronto searching for a new pair of funky shoes to add to your collection and all of sudden, you’re approached by a clean-cut twentysomething in a colourful smock – “Do you have a few moments to...
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I’m a huge fan of our wonderful charitable sector. That’s no secret. Charities always try to do the right thing and most of the time, they succeed. Where would our civil society be without our charities – our food banks and shelters; our hospitals, colleges...
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Teenagers. You know all about them. Those lazy creatures of social media whose only interest in the world is the latest trend in popular culture. If this is still your view of the average teenager, you’ve got it all wrong. In fact, the next generation...
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While a charitable bequest in your Will is an easy and very effective way to make a legacy gift to your favourite charity, there are other options when comes to making a deferred donation. This article will explore two of them: life insurance and retirement...
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You have the power to change the world. This article is about charitable gift planning. Charitable gift planning is the process of incorporating charitable giving into your client’s overall financial plan. It’s about giving money away in a thoughtful, meaningful and strategic manner. Charitable gift planning...
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Most gift planners recognize the importance of cultivating relationships with the local “allied professional” community (for the purpose of this article, “allied professional” or “AP” includes lawyers, accountants, financial planners/advisors and insurance advisors) but very few of us take a strategic approach when it comes...
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