Topic Index: Public Charities

Becoming “SO-Friendly”: The Advantages of Courting Supporting Organization Relationships

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, December 1997

Congress has given what is probably its last, temporary reprieve for private foundations, in the form of an extension of the provision exempting gifts of publicly traded securities from the harsh “reduce-to-basis” rule. The legislation has once again focused attention on the many disadvantages of the private foundation format itself, which have been summarized in […]

A Taxonomy of Tax-Exempt Organizations

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, June 1997

Ask a representative of a charitable organization what type of charity he or she represents, and the correct, if incomplete, answer will often be, “We’re a 501(c)(3) organization.” This basic qualification will likely be only part of the answer sought. Most tax-exempt charitable institutions–private foundations, public charities and the variety of hybrids between–share this basic […]

Part of the Truth About Attorneys

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, June 1996

Unpleasantness must occasionally intrude upon even the most peaceful of lives, and PGOs will likely find themselves interacting with attorneys from time to time. To help gird you for these encounters, this publication provides you herewith (as the attorney might say) a guide to some of the important differences between attorneys and the rest of […]

Accelerate Your Charity’s CRT Interest

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, April 1996

Not all of the IRS’s rulings on charitable remainder trusts are bad news these days.  The Service recently issued Private Letter Ruling 9550026, in which it provided charities and donors with a road map for successfully accelerating a portion of the charity’s interest in a CRUT.  The plan permits a donor to let a share […]

What’s Wrong With This Gift?

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, March 1996

Egbert Entrepreneur, age 58, responds to a solicitation in Charity’s newsletter which reads: “Save Big Taxes — Let Us Plan the Disposition of Your Retirement Benefits for You!” Egbert explains to Peter Grasping Oglethorpe, who is Charity’s PGO, that and acquaintance lent him a copy of the newsletter at a recent cocktail party. He says […]

The Perilous Quest for Bequests

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, September 1993

When an enterprising planned giving officer embarks on a “bequest program,” he or she usually has in mind an organized campaign to encourage friends of the charity to remember the institution in their wills or living trusts. This sense of “bequest” is actually something of a misnomer. A gift which a donor makes by will […]

Three Hazards for PGOs

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, February 1993

Three perennial hazards face the planned giving officer in interactions with prospective donors: conflicts of interest; undue influence; and the unauthorized practice of law. Any one of these hazards can mean at least embarrassment and poor donor relations, and at worst a protracted lawsuit. The employment of simple safeguards can greatly reduce such risks. Conflicts […]

Probate Primer for PGOs

By Gerald B. Treacy, Jr.

Originally Published in Planned Giving Today, June 1992

When a charitable organization discovers that a donor has died leaving a testamentary gift, its role changes from that of gift planner to that of beneficiary with an interest in probate administration. A key task of the planned giving officer and counsel will be to develop reliable guidelines for coping with the probate process. Suggested […]