Blog Posts & Webinars

Everyone waits until the last minute – that is human nature.  The wave of gifts is happening NOW, but this is when many charitable staff want to take vacations and do holiday shopping.  We don’t know what vacations are, and the only gifts we are focused on right now are charitable ones… our 30-person team works until…

If I am on a plane, and someone asks what I do, my response is “I help wealthy people give weird things to charity.”  Then, 99% of the time, they ask “What type of weird things?” So this webinar will cover some of our most memorable projects so far this year (the good, the bad and the ugly).…

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work-but for gift planners and professional advisors, it has to be more than just words. Join Bryan Clontz and Paul Caspersen for a hands-on look at how AI is helping professionals do more with AI applications. This webinar will demonstrate how to use AI for research, calculations, illustrations and high-impact…

Charitable gift annuities are a tried-and-true option for donors who want to make a philanthropic impact and generate lifetime income. The myth is that CGAs tend to be small and provide simple solutions. This webinar will outline why this is not the case.  You can maximize both impact and income by bringing your creativity-along with…

Interest in cryptocurrency gifts is growing rapidly-and not just for outright gifts. Donors and advisors are now exploring ways to use crypto to fund Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) and Charitable Gift Annuities (CGAs), creating opportunities to convert appreciated digital assets into income streams while supporting charity. This webinar will begin with a brief overview of CRTs and CGAs-how they work,…

The history of DAFs is fascinating, especially given the continued growth of sponsoring organizations, funds, and their impact on charitable giving. All DAF professionals need to be familiar with the history of DAFs, the diverse types of DAF sponsors, and the primary factors driving donors to choose DAFs and DAF sponsors. They also need to…

Discover how picking up the phone can transform your planned giving strategy. Join Joe Tumolo, CAP®, CEO – PG Partner as he shares insights from personally calling more than125 donors each week to thank, survey, and qualify them. Attendees will learn: How to implement actionable tips to generate more meaningful donor conversations that lead to…

We have recently received A LOT of inquiries about coins, collectibles and cars.  My joke is that I would rather deal with an Irish private company with imported aardvarks than a bag of gold coins.  What seems simple is anything but, however there are donation opportunities when all the planets align. Attendees will learn: The…

Our April webinar is based on the simple fact that most community foundation staff (and Board) are genetically unable to say “NO.”  This is exacerbated by the fact that community foundations are entirely blessed in that they can do almost anything charitably, and they are entirely cursed in that they can do almost anything charitably.…

Last year saw record activity for Charitable Solutions, LLC and 2025 looks to be continuing that trend! Join Ryan Raffin and Laura Malone as they examine what made 2024 successful and how those gifts suggest opportunities for 2025 and beyond. This webinar will discuss: Notable 2024 donations 2024 trends 2025 activity Expectations for 2025 Opportunities…

That is the title of a short, hyper-practical book recently self-published by our manager of noncash research, Russ Willis. And because it is Russ, we know the subject is going to be tax law. But also because it is Russ, we know it will be readable, straightforward, and footnoted with some of his insightful commentary.…

After 8 years of activity in the crypto space (donations and appraisals), we FINALLY created 2.0 versions in the nick of time. Crypto is still booming as of this exact moment which could change in the next 5 minutes, but donors are asking how to make donations and how to get qualified appraisals.  We have…

Whenever I’m on a plane, and someone asks what I do, my response is “I help wealthy people give weird things to charity.”  Then, 99% of the time, they ask “What type of weird things?” So this webinar will cover some of our most memorable projects so far this year (the good, the bad and the ugly). …

Are you looking to close Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) before the year ends?  Interested in learning from real-world examples and discovering practical strategies to make the most of these unique gift vehicles in the final months of 2024? This session will highlight key case studies from successful CRT gifts completed so far this year, share…

Are you interested in working with professional advisors to increase your donor engagement or other fundraising efforts? Do you currently work with some advisors, but want to learn how to best position their expertise for your organization? Does talking to advisors intimidate you? This session will go over ways to engage or enhance your engagement…

“Estate administration is a lot like a kindergarten class… if the teacher isn’t in the room, things go south quickly!” Bequests have always been the most popular form of planned gift, but many charities think they have crossed the goal line when they receive a gift notification from the Executor/Personal Representative/Trustee.  Often, that is just…

You can’t even go on a yoga retreat these days without hearing about AI!!! Join Bryan and Paul for the first of two webinars in 2024 as we provide updates from our April 2023 session, “Revolutionizing Gift Planning with Chat GPT and Other Technologies.” This July, we will explore significant advancements in Gift Planning Artificial Intelligence and introduce new tools such…

It is hot, it is summer, so it is time to take vacations at resorts.  But maybe donors don’t want to take a summer vacation anymore… alas, what can they do? Fill in the Blank Quiz:  ChatGPT defines __________ as capturing all kinetic energy when a particle passes beyond the event horizon, but quantum theory suggests…

Some of the most charitably-inclined people nationally are real estate investors.  They are often deeply involved in their local community and tend to be very place-based (think farmers/developers/apartment owners).  But they usually fund their charitable interests using cash – omg… the humanity!!!!!! This session covers: The various types of commercial real estate Some of the trends/tricks we are seeing in…

Spring (and crypto) has officially sprung!  We always try to be timely, so with Bitcoin recently crossing a record $70K/token (and a lot of other altcoins hitting records as well), we thought it would probably be good to discuss the current crypto charitable ecosystem. We have delivered multiple webinars in the past few years on…

I would rather hear ANY four letter word than D.E.B.T. when discussing a noncash transaction.  And a little known fact, Aretha Franklin’s original song line wasn’t “R.E.S.P.E.C.T… find out what it means to me”…. it was “D.E.B.T…. find out how unrelated business income tax and bargain sales will impact me.”  I think she should have…

You asked for an upgraded sugar-free and gluten-free noncash asset resource and we have answered the call.  I know what you are thinking: “Why couldn’t they have released this 491-paged noncash goodie prior to Valentine’s Day?”  Keep in mind this has been the #1 noncash asset book gift for anniversaries, book clubs, summer reading, graduations, weddings…

After 17 years of near silence,?IRS has finally begun to issue proposed regulations interpreting and implementing legislation enacted in 2006?to “improve accountability” of donor advised funds. They have announced four regulatory projects, three of which will deal with excise taxes on “taxable distributions” and on “prohibited benefits” and “excess benefits” to disqualified persons, and one…

If you don’t operate a donor advised fund, the answer is a millisecond, “Of course not!”  If you do operate a donor advised fund, these issues come up more and more, and determining when to say, “Unfortunately, we aren’t going to accept an asset like that, or from that group or grant to that organization,”…

Are you looking to reinvigorate your Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) marketing strategies as the year comes to an end?  Whether your organization has its own CGA pool, is considering winding down its CGA program, or outsources its CGA operations entirely, this webinar is designed to provide you with creative and impactful ideas. Join us as…

You may be familiar with the concept of donating real estate to maximize charitable giving potential, but have you considered what may be a more suitable option for disposition of your donor’s or client’s real estate asset-gifting through a Delaware Statutory Trust (DST)?  Whether it’s an investment property, vacation home, or even commercial real estate, making…

Five years ago, our team conducted a 990 review on 2016-2017 noncash activity for the largest 100 charities nationally.??We were beyond shocked at how few charities were actually receiving ANY noncash gifts, and that those who did, grew like crazy. This was a follow up to Dr. Russell James’ seminal research (“Cash is Not King”…

The gift plan design, due diligence, ownership transfer is complete and the written acknowledgment is delivered to finalize the gift over the goal line… congratulations!!!? Now you may want to “set it and forget it” to move on to the next project… or take a well-deserved vacation.? Just when you thought it was safe to…

Charitable Solutions, LLC now manages nearly $2 billion in supporting organizations (SOs).  This session will cover the definitions (Type I, Type II and Type III), operational and governance structures as well as unique lifetime and testamentary planning strategies.  The session will place some emphasis on noncash asset donations as well as customized (and even concentrated)…

THEY’RE BACK?? or did they really ever leave?  We are getting a spike in questions about charitable remainder trusts so this month’s webinar will briefly cover the CRT basics, when to use a flip CRUT, and then cover a few CRT conundrums and solutions. Our two newest team members, Paul Caspersen, CFP®, MS, AEP® (formerly AVP for Gift Planning at…

Since nearly the beginning of time, Development staff have joyfully quipped, “Create a gift annuity with us and you are guaranteed to live forever!”, followed by a “Isn’t that great? it is like discovering the Fountain of Youth!”  To which the Finance/Investment Officer, who always seems to overhear these conversations anxiously says, “Wait? what?” This lively session about death will…

“The Internet? We are not interested in it.” – Bill Gates, 1993. Precisely 30 years later Microsoft announces a new multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT-maker Open AI. Join us this month to explore the innovative ways in which artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies can be leveraged to enhance gift planning. Some of the key topics covered…

Our inaugural 2023 webinar will cover one of the newest opportunities in planned giving:  qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) for life income gifts (CRTs and CGAs).  We will cover the new rules, open questions, practical considerations, and case study opportunities. THIS IS BIG!!!!! This webinar will prepare you to: Advocate to internal management why the time…

Charitable Solutions will have our 20th birthday on January 3rd . Yet, we still hear from charities with questions such as, “We have been declining (fill in asset here) for years!? How do you work again?”? Ugh…? So, we usually have this call multiple times a week covering the initial call with the development person/professional…

Charitable Solutions will have our 20th birthday on January 3rd . Yet, we still hear from charities with questions such as, “We have been declining (fill in asset here) for years!  How do you work again?”  Ugh?  So, we usually have this call multiple times a week covering the initial call with the development person/professional advisor,…

Wealth is not held in cash; it’s held in other assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and IRAs. Research shows that shifting donors to giving from their wealth (assets), rather than just from their cash (disposable income) can lead to transformational donations. But how can we actually make this happen? Talking about someone else’s wealth…

Interest rates are rising, fast. And it’s not just the federal funds target rate. Yields on mid-term Treasuries, which touched historic lows in the early months of the pandemic, have risen several points in just the past few months, to levels we have not seen since before the 2008 crash. Those yields are the benchmark…

This month’s webinar (see registration link below) will cover the benefits and costs to noncash and CGA outsourcing.? Having been an outsourced provider for 20 years, you are probably thinking, “I am guessing we are only going to hear about the benefits.”? Yes, we have a massive conflict of interest/bias, but there are a number…

Charitable Solutions, LLC now manages nearly $2 billion in supporting organizations (SOs). This session will cover the definitions (Type I, Type II and Type III), operational and governance structures as well as unique lifetime and testamentary planning strategies. The session will place some emphasis on noncash asset donations as well as customized (and even concentrated)…

With the annual April tax deadline coming up, we figured the time might be ripe for a tax-focused webinar. Many charities just finished dealing with stacks of last-minute donor tax forms, particularly IRS Form 8283 for noncash charitable contributions.? Despite being only two pages long, the 8283 can be confusing for donors, advisors, appraisers, AND…

Our goal is to continue offering informative and timely free webinars based on what we are working on in the moment. Right now, the hot topics are private equity funds and all their close cousins such as profits interests, carried interest, hedge funds and private real estate funds. We have completed dozens of these transactions…

You knew this was coming!  NFTs or non-fungible tokens are the newest “asset” to pop up in the world of charitable gifting.  Last month, the top 100 NFT sales amounted to $2.3 Billion (yes? BILLION!).  Essentially, NFTs are a low-overhead endeavor because they are created, viewed, traded and owned online.  But because NFTs are still so closely…

Last year was a blur for our team on many levels with unprecedented activity across every service line. We completed more than 230 noncash donations for $1.056 BILLION… 250% more than our previous annual record! We also delivered 64 speeches, 107 new charitable gift annuities for over $12 million dollars, more than 150 qualified charitable…