Things are happening so fast right now, I want to break my “series” on our family governance meetings last week in order to report on some other matters that have come up in the very recent past.

This past week we received final word on the results of a fundraising program we were able to spearhead in behalf of Mission India. The results themselves are very exciting to us, and I’d like to direct your attention to a fellow blogger’s post on the subject, 7682 Women in India can learn to read!

But I would like to use that event as a jump off point for talking about the entire subject of strategic giving. How can we maximize the impact of our gifts in philanthropic and charitable endeavors?

I would like to point toward what I am becoming more and more convinced is a good path . . . by means of my wife’s and my personal journey. Read the rest of this entry »

I just sent L____, our CPA, a summary letter explaining “where we are” in the legacy planning process. Most of what I had to say came from our weekend in Colorado Springs at the Generous Giving conference:

[While at the] “Generous Giving” conference, . . . I had the opportunity to speak with a number of counselors who specialize in the field of legacy- or charitably-oriented estate-planning and with people who have pursued, or are in the midst of pursuing, goals similar to ours.

I asked several of these people for their input on the idea of switching to a 501(c)(3) . . . especially considering–or “if”–there would be UBTI [Unrelated Business Taxable Income]. Read the rest of this entry »