IRS Applicable Federal Midterm Rate for July 2010 is 2.8%.

The valuation rate for new pooled income funds in 2010 is 4.6%.

In this issue:

• Featured Topic: The Stewardship Challenge - Managing the Complexities of Gift Administration
• Help Clip: Gift Annuity Partial Payments in PGM
• Quick Tip: GiftWrap 4.0 – Have You Scheduled a Migration Date?
• Marketing Corner with Ann McPherson: The Magic of Focus Groups
• State Registration White Paper Is Available for Download
• Join Us in Celebrating Our Anniversary and Get a $25 Amazon Gift Card
• Client Spotlight: Cornerstone Management – Reviews GiftWrap 4.0
• Upcoming Webinar: Gift Annuity Regulation in Highly Regulating States
• Come to Group Training in Boston this Summer!

The Stewardship Challenge - Managing the Complexities of Gift Administration
PG Calc’s first gift administration white paper, originally published at the end of 2009, outlined both the theoretical and practical aspects of excellent planned gift administration. If you are a development officer, your appreciation of these concepts rises above the academic, even if your organization has chosen to outsource this critical process. This paper is a blueprint of best practices for managing the complexities of gift administration, written for both those whose job is to perform the tasks and those whose primary responsibilities are to raise funds. This month’s featured article is an excerpt from that paper.

Learn more...

Past topics...

Help Clip: Gift Annuity Partial Payments in PGM
Most charities make payments to all of their gift annuitants on specific days of the year, such as the last day of each calendar quarter. In order to synchronize all of these payments, these charities typically make a first partial payment to each gift annuitant based on the fraction of the first payment period that the annuitant's agreement is in force. Planned Giving Manager (PGM) includes several features that simplify data entry for computing partial payment amounts, and for combining them with a first regular payment when desired.

Learn more...

Quick Tip: GiftWrap 4.0 – Have You Scheduled a Migration Date?
PG Calc officially released GiftWrap 4.0 on May 24th. We have been busy ever since converting clients who have made reservations to move to this new Web-based version of GiftWrap. If you have not yet made a reservation, now would be a good time to determine the best date for your conversion to GiftWrap 4.0.

We have a wealth of information available about GiftWrap 4.0 on our website including a page specifically dedicated to the migration process.

It’s easy to make your reservation using the form on our web site.

Register your organization for migration to GiftWrap 4.0 soon to confirm a date that works best for your administration schedule.

Marketing Corner with Ann McPherson: The Magic of Focus Groups
Almost anyone who has a hand in marketing knows what a focus group is, and given this familiarity, it’s hard to know why this tool is so underutilized. Most often a focus group is used for input to design, but there are many areas in which a focus group could make a difference in your planned giving program.

Focus groups are most useful for gauging public perception, which makes them an effective way to get direct and valuable feedback on many different facets of planned giving marketing; it could be your overall messaging and mission, a tag line, your website navigation, a direct mail campaign, or changes to your legacy society. The list could go on and on.

Benefits:
* Fast: Feedback is immediate
* Tangible: Information is actionable; can confirm or change project direction
* Inexpensive: Minimal out-of-pocket expense (just time)
* Interactive: Facilitator can probe at different levels and gather information via non-verbal responses
In most instances the benefits far outweigh the considerations, but we’ll name them anyway:

Considerations:
* Facilitator: Focus groups require a skilled and experienced moderator
* Audience: Generally 5-8 attendees, but selection is important; make sure the profile matches your constituents
* Lemming syndrome: Describes the risk of being mislead when people’s responses build from other's responses
* One benchmark: It isn't a statistically valid representation of the larger population so it’s only one of many tools marketers use

The important point to remember is that a focus group is not difficult to execute. It just requires some forethought and organization. And yes, we can help too.

For more information, contact Ann McPherson at ann@pgcalc.com or call 888-497-4970.

State Registration White Paper Is Available for Download
PG Calc’s recently released state registration white paper, "State Gift Annuity Registration: A Primer on What It Means to Your Organization," boils down complex subject matter to assist charities, and the service providers who advise them, in navigating the state-specific intricacies of gift annuity registration. Could your organization benefit from this paper? Download it today and find out.

Download white paper

Join Us in Celebrating Our Anniversary and Get a $25 Amazon Gift Card
In 2010, PG Calc celebrates its 25th anniversary with pride, enthusiasm, and gratitude. We recently received a special present from our employees, who completed an anonymous survey conducted by the Boston Business Journal that resulted in our placing among the top 20 “Best Places to Work in Boston” in the small business category. This recognition and honor reconfirms our dedication to the PG Calc enterprise.

We invite our clients to participate in our celebration as well, by contributing a story that highlights PG Calc’s investment in their mission. We’re excited to publish these stories on our website. Please email PG Calc at info@pgcalc.com with your PG Calc story. The first 100 people that provide a story will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift card. We thank all of our clients for the opportunities we’ve had to serve them, support their planned giving programs, and invest in their missions over the last 25 years.

Learn more...

Client Spotlight: Cornerstone Management - Reviews GiftWrap 4.0
Melissa Chapman, Cornerstone Management Inc.’s Senior Gift Annuity Administrator had this to say after participating in the beta test program for GiftWrap 4.0 software. “Cornerstone manages more than 30 gift annuity programs for our clients. The ability to provide our clients remote access to view their annuity data is one aspect of GiftWrap 4.0 that I really like. For some of our clients this will add tremendous value. I have found the software easy to navigate and the enhanced reporting features have already solved some of the issues we have had to work around in the past. Over many years of working with PG Calc I have come to appreciate the fact that they listen to their users and this latest release incorporates many enhanced reporting features that we had been asking for. I don’t mind the learning curve that is always associated with new software when the result allows me to provide better service to my clients.”

Cornerstone Management Inc. is a registered investment advisory firm located in Atlanta, GA.  Cornerstone provides planned gift administration, asset management consulting and planned gift consulting to Christian non-profit organizations nationwide.

Learn more about GiftWrap 4.0

Learn more about Cornerstone

Upcoming Webinar: Gift Annuity Regulation in Highly Regulating States
Negotiating the labyrinth of gift annuity regulation in California, New York, Wisconsin, and other more highly regulating states can be a challenge. In this Webinar, Edie Matulka, our resident sage on the state regulation of gift annuities, will focus on specific details regarding registering and maintaining compliance in the dozen most regulated states. Edie will also discuss recent developments in the regulation of gift annuities by these and other states.

Presenter: Edie Matulka
Date: June 24, 2010
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET

Register now

Come to Group Training in Boston this Summer!
We will be offering our Gift Planning with Planned Giving Manager and Gift Administration with GiftWrap group training sessions in Boston in August. These sessions provide a solid foundation for individuals who are new to planned giving. These classes may also serve to reinforce the skills and knowledge of experienced gift planners. We hope you’ll join us. August is a great time to visit Boston!

Please note that our GiftWrap classes will spend time working with the outgoing 3.6 platform as well as the new Web-based GiftWrap 4.0.

August 9-10
Gift Planning with Planned Giving Manager
Introductory & Advanced
John Hancock Hotel & Conference Center, Boston, MA

August 11-12
Gift Administration with GiftWrap
Basics & Reporting and Analysis
John Hancock Hotel & Conference Center, Boston, MA

For more information or to register

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