Blog

  • Presentation: Peterborough Estate Planning Council (PEPC)

    William Petruck, President of FUNDING matters Inc. is presenting at the Peterborough Estate Planning Council (PEPC) meeting. Presentation Overview: Prince died at age 57 without a will. Over 60% of Canadians over the age of 50 do not have a current estate plan and of those with a current estate plan

  • CAGP Conference – Scaling New Heights

    I am excited to be presenting and exhibiting at the 2016 CAGP conference in Banff from April 6th-8th. My session will be geared towards the discussion with donors and the interests, concerns and fears they have when making either a major or planned gift. The session will be on Wednesday, April 6th f

  • Giftabulator NOW 2.0 Alpha Version

    ·GIFTABULATOR

    I wanted to give you an update on Giftabulator NOW, as we have been making continuous improvements in order to bring you and your donors a tool that is educational and easy to navigate for major and planned giving. We now have several key organizations who have joined other leading charities on boar

  • Mid-Level Donors are Important

    I came across an insightful article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy called Making the Most of Mid-Level Donors [hyperlink to article]. The author states, “Mid-level donors are often overlooked at non-profits, even though they are among the most generous and loyal supporters, and may have the potent

  • Donate to Eliminate

    I was encouraged to see the Laura Saunders’ article Tax Smart Philanthropy Made Easy in the Wall Street Journal (click link here). This has been a key element of what we have been speaking to advisors, charities and individuals about in getting their estate, financial houses in order to minimize tax

  • Building a list of loyal donors

    I hear all too often that organizations don’t have prospects to approach for major or planned gifts. So organizations wait and hold events, use direct mail or try out social media. In other words, the status quo in fundraising over the past 20 years is maintained, with social media being a new versi

  • Why do rich people give?

    There are many reasons why the wealthy donate to charity. But you don’t have to be wealthy to give. It is more important to know, from my experience, that wealthier donors give from appreciated assets. That means that they will look at assets like stocks, mutual funds, property or tangible items lik

  • What happens when the donor knows more than the fundraiser? The fundraiser better be on their A-game.

    Imagine this scenario: you’re meeting with a donor about a major gift donation and they tell you they’ve set up a trust fund for their children and are in the process of setting up their own family foundation. The donor then says they like your charity and the work it does. The donor is a … C

  • What is happening with bequests?

    Fewer North Americans are drafting wills – that makes getting a bequest that much harder Based on the stats that 60% of individuals have a current estate plan and of those only 4% have included charity in their estate planning indicates that something is wrong with what charities and professional ad

  • Charities Be Aware: More Donations Come Annually from Bequests than Corporate Giving

    Where are you spending your time chasing donated dollars? If you answer writing grants and proposals to corporations, you’re probably right. $22 Billion was directed from bequests to charity versus $15 Billion from corporations in 2011. (Giving USA 2011) For all of your efforts you probably haven’t

  • 2016 Tax Changes Regarding Charitable Donations

    I thought I would summarize the budget changes that impact charitable donations, for your consideration and for discussion with your donors. On December 7th, 2015 the federal government announced a 4% increase in tax credits for individuals with an income over $200,000, to 33% from the current 29%,

  • Happy New Year!

    As we embark upon 2016, many have decided to make New Year’s resolutions. Let me suggest several estate planning to-dos that shouldn’t be ignored as we are in the early days of 2016. Update your will – since 60% of individuals do not have a current will, it may be time for you to update … Con