Charitable Organizations
Jonathan can provide a broad array of services to the established planned giving office or to other personnel who wear many hats at the charity, one of which is the "planned giving" hat.
He is available to make individualized donor presentations or interact with the donor's advisors - advisor to advisor - on a potential outright or planned charitable gift. Jonathan can analyze a particular gift proposal and suggest pitfalls and alternatives.
He can make presentations to a group of potential donors (and their advisors), or to staff or board members in order to educate and train them to spot opportunities for a planned gift. He can provide sample planned giving forms for presentation to a donor's advisor. Jonathan can also review substantiation guidelines, can conduct a legal compliance audit of a planned giving program, and work on Gift Acceptance Guidelines and Endowment Policies with the charity's representatives. Learn more at GetGoodGovernance.com, Jon's governance policy production and implementation process which helps charities and other nonprofit organizations help themselves.
Why Retain Independent Legal Counsel?
Here are just a few reasons to consider:
Reduce liability: Consult with an independent attorney who will analyze a potential gift from the charity's perspective. In analyzing a planned gift, many different professional disciplines intersect. As a planned giving officer or someone assigned to be the planned giving expert, competent legal counsel will enhance the planner's individual abilities and broaden the knowledge base with which to consider various creative solutions to a donor's situation. Independent counsel can reduce legal exposure by keeping a keen eye open for potential conflicts of interest. Experienced counsel will keep the planned giving office abreast of the latest charitable gift tax schemes and be in a position to consider the issues and possibilities without alienating a sincere donor.
Advisor-to-Advisor Interaction: Advisors to donors have one interest in mind - what is in the best interest of their clients, and in fact, they may be ethically bound to do just that. Don't allow the donor's advisor to stop a good gift or gift vehicle from happening because that advisor has a lack of knowledge or a fear in that regard. A presentation to the donor's advisors must be made in a fashion that is understandable to donors and their advisors, and sometimes, an advisor-to-advisor communication will adequately reduce their fear or reluctance and get the gift closed.
Raise your planned giving program to the next level: Competent outside legal counsel can reduce the organization's collective fear of engaging in a sophisticated or complicated charitable gift structure. Put your program in a position to spot new opportunities for gifts and to quickly consider the viability of sophisticated gift structures, such as a gift associated with a closely held business, partnership, LLC or real estate. In addition, you will be able to present sample forms for consideration by donors and their advisors, which will instill confidence, promote collaboration and simplify the gift planning process.
How Can We Work Together?
This firm works on an hourly basis, a project basis or a retainer basis. This firm will work strategically on a particular project or on an ongoing basis. And we can start slowly and get to know each other in an attempt to develop a long-term relationship.
To learn more, please contact Jonathan.
Additional Reading
Learn more about GetGoodGovernance.com, Jon's governance policy production and implementation process which helps charities and other nonprofit organizations help themselves.
Learn more about the need to collaborate in planned giving.
Learn more about integrating a charitable gift into a donor's planning.
