Connell and Associates September 2009 Newsletter Issue #2

May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you. --Irish toast

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Retiree Tax Havens (and Hells) I came across a very interesting web site by Kilpinger's which has an interactive chart of the United States showing a comparsion of the various taxes individual states impose. It ranks the five most tax friendly and least tax freindly states for retirees. It is a fun excerise and PG officers should be come familiar with the ins and outs of your states individual tax system. The map is available at the following site: www.kiplinger.com/tools/retiree_map/index.html?map=11#anchor

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IRS announces procedures for charities to change supporting organization classification
Many Hospital Foundations are organized as 509(a)(3) supporting organizations and thereby areNOT elibible to receive IRA rollover contributions. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Announcement 2009-62 on August 10 outlining procedures that a 509(a)(3) supporting organization may use to change its public charity status to section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2). The IRS will no longer expedite requests for classification changes unless the organization meets specific criteria. (Source AHP September Newsletter) ______________________________________________________________

Kudos Corner

This is a new section where I will be highlighting some gift expectancies and gift program elements I think will be helpful and informative.

Kudos Corner is on vacation this issue and will return next issue.

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Connell and Associates welcomes Evangelical Community Hospital Tami Radecke, VP Development Department and Joanne Troutman, Director of Development and of Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania are in the process of expanding their planned gift efforts. Their Annual Report and Donor report is available for PDF download on the main hospital page with a donate online link directly under the cover photo.

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Americans concerned with retirement; college savings A recent survey from Bankrate.com indicates that 70 percent of Americans don't feel they'll be able to save enough for retirement and 50 percent are concerned with college savings.

And, while nearly 50 percent fear that they might not be able to afford home payments in the future or will lose their home, a whopping 92 percent still find a home to be a good investment.

In terms of estate and income planning, 61 percent of respondents with a college degree think the best long-term financial returns come from investments in stocks and mutual funds, compared to 49 percent of all Americans surveyed.

Finally, 36 percent of respondents say they are saving less than before as a result of the current economic environment, and 44 percent have not changed their savings rate, while 17 percent have increased savings despite the state of the financial markets.

Planned gift slant: I wonder what the percentage of seniors would be in a similar survey. It points up the importance of concentrating on gifts of non-cash assets.

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Planned Giving Mentor - New Article I have placed my most recent June 2009 article for Planned Giving Mentor "Marketing Bequests" on the web site along with 12 other articles of interest. These short 600 word articles are designed for the beginning planned gifts program. I hope you find them of interest.

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Mansfield University Foundation promotes seminar on "Windfall and Pitfalls" I was pleased to participate in a two-day, four seminar program offered by Mansfield University Foundation to those fortunate landowners in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania who are benefitting from natural gas lease windfall income from the newly discovered Marcellus Shale region fields.

Promotional material was distributed by mail, through professional advisors and sponsors plus ads on radio, TV and newspapers. This approach reminds us all to be aware of target markets - those with unique circumstances created by a special benefit who could benefit from charitable strategies.

Perhaps unique to Pennsylvania the state income tax system does not recognize the deductibility of charitable contributions. Therefore, a $100,000 outright gift derived from earned or windfall income is subject to a $3,070 tax in Pennsylvania.

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Sharpe Give and Take "Achieving Success in Today's Environment" is the topic of the September Give & Take from the Sharpe Group. In this issue Bob Sharpe discusses his Donor Matrix built on the most attractive gifting plans based on Wealth & Age. Bob is an industry leader and the experienced planned gift officer would do well to incorporate this matrix into the "silent" discussion they have with potential givers. It drives the PGO to eliminate some gift options in favor of the gift options that fit well into the donor's goals and objectives.

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Give Options To Donors Waiting Until Next Year Below is a link to an NonProfit Times article with interesting comments about donors being afraid to make long term commitments. I recommend it to you reading. Link

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James E. Connell and Associates is a national consulting service devoted to increasing resources for charties using the power of charitble estate and gift planning techniques.

Pinehurst office: PO Box 3335, 15 Pinewild Drive, Pinehurst, NC 28374
Phone: 910-295-6800
Northeast office: 20982 Bayside Avenue, Rock Hall, MD 21661 Phone: 410-639-7758

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