IRS Applicable Federal Midterm Rate for March 2012 is 1.4%.

The Valuation Rate for New Pooled Income Funds in 2012 is 1.8%. See an expanded explanation of how this rate is calculated.

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In this issue:

• Featured Article: Endowments Enable Planned Gifts to Cast a Long Shadow
• HelpClip: Producing a Group of Gift Profiles in GiftWrap
• Quick Tip: Pay Your Invoice Online
• Fixes for PGM Help System
• Marketing Corner with Ann McPherson
• GiftGuide Descriptions Updated to Reflect January 1 Changes
• Upcoming Webinar: A Stimulus Plan for Charitable Giving, January 26
• Upcoming Group Training Sessions Prior to ACGA Conference

Endowments Enable Planned Gifts to Cast a Long Shadow
Even though planned gifts and endowments are ultimately distinct, planned gifts are generally well-suited for bolstering endowments, and many planned gifts do in fact wind up playing that role. Furthermore, a planned giving program can provide a “home” for endowment activities. It is not uncommon for development officers responsible for planned giving also to be charged with directing, or at least assisting, endowment efforts.

Read this article...

Past topics...

HelpClip: Producing a Group of Gift Profiles in GiftWrap
GiftWrap’s Gift Profile allows you to produce a paper record of all of the information it is storing on a gift. This report can be useful for reviewing new gifts and for including a detailed record of them in the corresponding donor files. Historically, GiftWrap could produce Gift Profiles (and Person Profiles) only one at a time. No longer. GiftWrap 4.0 can produce a group of Gift Profiles all at once. For example, you may want to do this after adding multiple gifts during the same GiftWrap session. It is easy to do!

Learn more...

Quick Tip: Pay Your Invoice Online
Please be aware that our website has an online option for invoice payment. If that method is convenient for you, the form is in the Support menu under Invoice Payments. All credit card information (and other information) that you enter on this form will be sent to a secure server using SSL encryption technology.

Fixes for PGM Help System
If you upgrade to a new computer with a Windows 7 operating system, you may encounter certain compatibility issues. Planned Giving Manager (PGM) Help uses an older file format (.hlp) that is not supported by Windows 7 (or Windows Vista). However, a free patch is available from Microsoft that will allow PGM Help to function properly. We are planning to upgrade PGM Help in PGM 6.6, which tentatively is planned for release this spring.

The Microsoft Support webpage contains the patch, as well as a couple of additional fixes for related issues.

To learn more, please refer to the Planned Giving Manager portion of our Knowledge Base article on Windows 7 compatibility.

Marketing Corner with Ann McPherson
In the last issue of the PG Calc-U-Letter, I discussed why mission has to be your number one fundraising message - it's the one thing that sets your charity apart. Yet too many organizations still think of their central marketing message in terms of promoting gift vehicles. 

One way to think of mission is brand. When we think of the most successful brands, corporations typically come to mind, such as Apple, Toyota, Coke, and Nike. I would argue that those are not the "brands" that most organizations can or should emulate. Brand doesn’t have to be expensive. Over the next couple of months, I will explore how brand translates to non-profits, because regardless of your organization’s size, you can affect its brand. There are many definitions of “brand,” but let's start with one provided by PersuasiveBrands.com: "A brand is the essence or promise of what will be delivered or experienced."  

Past topics...

GiftGuide Descriptions Updated to Reflect January 1 Changes
In early January, we updated our standard GiftGuide descriptions to reflect the new American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) suggested maximum annuity rates and the expiration of the charitable IRA rollover, both of which took effect on January 1. We also updated a number of gift examples to reflect the current very low IRS discount rate. Because GiftGuide is Web-based, we have already completed these updates for our clients.

Upcoming Webinar: A Stimulus Plan for Charitable Giving, January 26
Charitable giving, like the economy, and partly because of the economy, is going through a difficult time. Total giving is still below its historical peak, distributions from estates are less than projected, and certain planned gifts, such as charitable remainder trusts and pooled income funds, have been decreasing in number. This session will propose a plan for stimulating planned gifts that entails thinking outside the box with reference to types of assets that can be contributed and new applications of the traditional gift planning instruments. It will also suggest responses to possible changes in tax incentives for charitable gifts.

Date: January 26
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET
Presenter: Frank Minton

Register

Upcoming Group Training Sessions Prior to ACGA Conference
We will be offering our Gift Planning with Planned Giving Manager and Gift Administration with GiftWrap group training sessions in San Francisco on April 16-17 in advance of the biennial ACGA Conference. These classes provide a solid foundation for individuals who are new to planned giving or our software. They also serve to reinforce the skills and knowledge of experienced gift planners and administrators.

April 16-17*
Gift Planning with Planned Giving Manager
Introductory & Advanced
San Francisco, CA

April 16-17*
Gift Administration with GiftWrap
Basics & Reporting and Analysis
San Francisco, CA

* Our April training sessions were previously published as taking place on April 17-18.

Learn more, register, or view our entire 2012 schedule

Client Services Support Hours
The Client Services team is ready to help you with your gift planning and software questions between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Call toll-free 888-474-2252 or email support@pgcalc.com.

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