PG Calc Blog

What prompts the flurry of calendar year-end gifts?  That all important – to many of your donors – current year charitable deduction.  A day late, a gift made on January 1st rather than December 31st, and the deduction is “lost” for a year.  Of course, a day can make a difference throughout the year, by changing what discount rate is used for calculating the deduction or in determining the amount of a first gift annuity payment. But it is of particular significance at year-end.

There are two scenarios for how the funds from a gift annuity issued by one organization might ultimately be directed to another organization. In one situation, Charity A either doesn’t issue gift annuities at all or doesn’t issue them in a particular state, but knowingly directs a donor interested in a gift annuity to another charitable organization (Charity B) that will issue a gift annuity to the donor. In this situation, Charity A has the opportunity to proactively look into Charity B, the issuing organization, and to understand how the gift will be managed and distributed.

When construction was undertaken, the “ramps to nowhere” in the below picture had a purpose, to connect with an anticipated highway that would run nearby. With the highway having long ago been scrapped, the ramps have stood as is for 50 years, at least finding use as diving platforms and a “canvas” for artwork.

Optical illusions are fun; they invite us to look for two things in a single image. Sometimes we see both perspectives without prompting, other times the second image becomes clear only when it is pointed out to us, and still other times... well, sometimes we just can’t get beyond our initial perspective.

What does a review of your planned giving program have in common with taking photos at the Grand Canyon or kayaking on the Niagara River?