Independent CPA support for the donor at your table.
For nonprofit major-gift and planned-giving teams: we model the gift across every relevant vehicle - CRT, CLT, gift annuity, DAF, outright - and tell the donor which one actually serves their goal best. You keep the relationship. We keep the math.
"We start with the donor's goals and facts and let those decide the structure. That independence is exactly what makes our recommendation useful to you."
Where we add value, and where we don't.
A clear scope protects the donor relationship and protects you. Here's where we add value - and where we don't.
What we do
Our scope- Modeling every relevant option: CRT, CLT, charitable gift annuity, DAF, outright
- Plain-language donor memos the donor can read on their own
- Side-by-side comparisons with assumptions made explicit and challengeable
- Coordination with the donor's attorney, financial planner, or family CPA
- Honest "no" when no charitable vehicle is the right answer for the donor
What we don't
Your scope- Fundraising strategy or development consulting
- Advocacy for a particular gift vehicle - that's not the role
- Stewardship of the donor relationship - that stays with you
- Drafting trust instruments (we coordinate with the donor's attorney)
- Solicitation of the donor for adjacent services
How we work together.
Most engagements take this shape. We can flex when your prospect's situation calls for it.
This is the version of the comparison we typically put in front of a donor: the economic value created by giving through a trust rather than selling first and giving the after-tax remainder. The same numbers run in spreadsheet form for the advisors on the team.
Introduction
You email or call. We schedule a three-way conversation with you and the donor. No fee, no commitment.
Scope
One-page scope memo within a week. Deliverable, timeline, and fee - agreed up front.
Modeling & memo
Two to four weeks. Side-by-side vehicle comparison delivered to you and the donor at the same time.
Next steps
The donor decides. If a trust is selected, we can engage for design. If not, we step back - you keep the relationship throughout.
The Donor Gift Comparison One-Pager
A clean, donor-ready template comparing a charitable remainder trust, a gift annuity, a donor-advised fund, and an outright gift side by side. Bring it to your next major-gift meeting and fill in the donor's numbers.
Three ways to go deeper.
Working with us
The complete protocol for gift-officer engagements: how we communicate with you and the donor, fee structure, and what you receive at each stage.
Donor support overview
A walkthrough of what a donor receives when you bring us in: the memo, the comparison, the conversation. Anonymized but representative.
When to bring in a CPA
An insight piece: where your role ends and ours begins on a complex gift - farmland, equipment, appreciated assets - and how the team fits together.
What gift officers usually ask us.
01When should we bring in a CPA versus handling it ourselves?+
When the tax mechanics of an unusual asset get complicated - farmland, equipment, appreciated stock, real estate. You keep the donor relationship; we come in on the tax and trust piece and then step back.
02Can a donor fund a gift with farmland or equipment?+
Often, yes. These can make excellent gifts, but the tax treatment varies a lot and the donor's specific facts change the answer. We can model it and help you speak to it with confidence.
03Who administers the trust or gift annuity once it's set up?+
There are several options, from a larger community foundation to national administrators. We'll help you weigh them - and we're glad to handle the ongoing trust tax work ourselves.
04We're not the CPA or the attorney - where do you fit?+
Exactly there. On a single gift you might have the donor, the foundation, an estate attorney, and us. We take the tax and trust corner, help the team get the structure right, and stay in our lane.
Have a donor whose gift would benefit from independent counsel?
The earlier we model the gift, the more time the donor has to make a clean decision. Reach out and we'll route you to an introductory call within the week.