by Eddie Thompson | Oct 17, 2017 | Charitable Estate Planning
Two separate $100 million gifts to New York City’s Lincoln Center illustrate the naming rights dilemma that many nonprofit leaders face. The first mega-gift came in 2008 when billionaire David Koch (pronounced “coke”) donated $100 million, the largest single donation...
by Eddie Thompson | Dec 13, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning
Charles W. Collier was Senior Philanthropic Advisor for Harvard University, having served the institution of twenty-five years until his retirement in 2008 for health reasons. In his most notable book, Wealth in Families, Collier talks about three important...
by Eddie Thompson | Nov 17, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning, Donor Communications
Several years ago I posted a blog about the two big questions donors need to answer before pulling the trigger on a major gift, bequest, or planned gift. The first question regards what they would need to live on for the rest of their lives. Since most donors...
by Eddie Thompson | Oct 17, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning, Donor Communications
In the previous blog I explained why the fulfillment rate of donor bequests was either good news or bad news, depending primarily on whether your organization has a progressive or regressive approach—that is, whether or not organizational leaders truly believe they...
by Eddie Thompson | Sep 13, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning
Several years ago I worked on an estate plan for a gentleman with a fifty-plus million-dollar estate. His intention was to leave a sizable percentage to charity and much of it to a nonprofit he had once served as a board member. In the planning process, he notified...
by Eddie Thompson | Aug 5, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning, Development Management
As an instrument-rated pilot with hundreds of hours in the cockpit, I understand the importance of focusing on data on my dashboard, particularly in stormy weather or when the way ahead is uncertain. When an inexperienced pilot gets into trouble, it usually begins...
