by Eddie Thompson | Jun 26, 2014 | Charitable Estate Planning
One of the best ways to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of a nonprofit is in terms of its net momentum. And, there’s no better way to illustrate that principle than with a drag racer — specifically the 1962 metallic blue Chevy Impala Super Sport that I...
by Eddie Thompson | May 26, 2014 | Charitable Estate Planning
When it comes to planned gifts and bequests to your organization, a standard consultant’s reply is that organizations “have not because they ask not.” However, it’s usually not quite that simple. If success were based simply on the number of asks, then success would...
by Eddie Thompson | Apr 22, 2014 | Charitable Estate Planning
Last year I wrote an article about a gathering of concerned university presidents in the early 1980s (See: “SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT”). I attended as a Vanderbilt University graduate assistant at working in the education department and trying to come up with an idea...
by Eddie Thompson | Mar 17, 2014 | Development Management
The 1972 crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 is the classic example of Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT), an aviation term used to describe a perfectly air-worthy aircraft under complete pilot control being inadvertently flown into the ground or an obstacle. When...
by Eddie Thompson | Feb 18, 2014 | Charitable Estate Planning
I wrote a paper in graduate school on the Harvard legacy and have been intrigued with the idea of it ever since. It’s a great example of several key elements of strategic giving—leverage, timing, and momentum. In other words, the greatest philanthropic impact is the...
