When to bring us in on a major gift.

You own the relationship and know what the donor wants their giving to do. Where it gets complicated is the tax mechanics of an unusual asset or putting pen to paper with tax impacts. That's the line where it's worth bringing us in, and it's the part we focus on.

What we add is independence: we're CPAs, not tied to the nonprofit's outcome, so we can give the donor real tax advice and projections, and lay out the options honestly. That's exactly what makes our read useful to you and credible to the donor.

A few situations where a quick call pays off:

Complex or non-cash assets

Farmland, equipment, appreciated stock, real estate. These can make wonderful gifts, but the tax treatment varies significantly, and a donor's specific facts change the answer. Two donors with nearly identical assets and goals can land on completely different structures because one has an income stream turning on in two years and the other doesn't.

The donor needs to understand the tax impact before they commit

We can work directly with the donor to walk through what a gift actually means for their situation - or work behind the scenes with you, so you can speak to it confidently.

It might not be a charitable trust at all

Sometimes the right answer is a charitable gift annuity, sometimes a donor-advised fund, sometimes keeping it simple. We'll lay out the options and the tradeoffs honestly.

We're not trying to be the foundation or the attorney. We come in on the tax and charitable trust piece, help the team get the structure right, and step back.

This is genuinely a team effort. On a single gift you might have the donor, the community foundation, an estate attorney, a financial planner, an existing CPA, and us - and the best outcomes happen when everyone stays in their lane.

Have a donor situation you're working through? We're glad to talk it over.