PLANNED GIVING
BOOK REVIEW: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO PLANNED GIVING
By: Debra Ashton. Revised Third Edition, 2004
ISBN 0-9705818-0-7

Reviewed by Jeanne Betsock Stillman
Those who attended the excellent presentation on Planned Giving at ADO Day by Nancy Mathiasen (ADO Past President and Director of Planned Giving at West Point) saw her hold up and acclaim the newly revised issue of Debra Ashtons work as the best single source in the field. The Complete Guide to Planned Giving: Everything You Need to Know to Compete Successfully for Major Gifts (3rd edition, Copyright 2004) is a 551-page plus front-matter, 8 11 paperback available from www.debraashton.com for $95 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. The book includes the Jobs & Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 as well as the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and was vetted for legal accuracy as of December 2003. It is supplemented by a CD that enables one to download evaluation copies of PC Calc and GiftWrap.

Known as The Blue Bible, The Complete Guide is friendly, straightforward and comprehensive. It is useful as a tutorial by a development professional new to planned giving or as a reference work for experienced planned giving officers and others. In his preface, Paul G. Schervish of Boston College notes that All giving is planned giving. By this I mean that every gift made by every person involves reflection about just how much to give, to what cause, in what way, and at what time. This focus on the interests, motivation and emotional needs of the individual donor permeates The Complete Guide and also underlies the approach of the successful Planned Giving director.

The Complete Guide is divided into four parts: The Preparation Stage for developing a planned giving program, Understanding the Gift Options, which provides detailed information of the tools of planned giving, Running a Successful Planned Giving Program, which shows how to integrate planned giving into an overall development program, and Essential Resources, a comprehensive, up-to-date set of reference material. While thoroughly covering the dense subject matter, Ashton takes a friendly approach, with many examples from her own experience, detailed case examples, and an easy-to-read layout. The index provides a guide to discussions in the text of many legal, tax-related and investment terms that help the Planned Giving officer talk with lawyers, tax accountants and financial planners. An even more detailed index would be helpful, but the chapter titles offer good guidance.

Part I:
The Preparation Stage covers developing a new planned giving program, the role of the board of trustees, whether and when to engage a fund raising or planned giving consultant, how to develop a master plan, how to identify planned giving prospects, and selecting legal counsel. It includes a detailed 12-month calendar of activities and a budget-planning worksheet and also focuses on how to approach prospect research.

Part II:
Understanding the Gift Options is the 238-page heart of The Complete Guide. It introduces the planned giving officer, the executive director and president, and other development staff to what motivates people to give, how to approach potential donors and about the gift options available. Starting with the content of an effective proposal, the chapter then provides information on general tax considerations and generation-skipping tax, and detailed information on gifts of securities, life insurance, gifts of real estate, pooled income funds, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, bequests, charitable lead trusts, and income in respect of a decedent.

Part III:
Running a Successful Planned Giving Program presents chapters on how to create effective print materials, how to use volunteers for planned giving, cultivation and stewardship, working with your colleagues, integrating planned giving into a campaign, planned giving in a one-person shop, planned giving and major gifts: adversaries or partners, the ultimate gift, and managing your planned giving assets.

Part IV:
Essential Resources provides an extensive reference collection of associations and networking, planned giving software, a bibliography, a list of planned giving/ fund raising consultants; and 87 pages of specimen agreements.

In summary, The Complete Guide to Planned Giving is worth every penny of its cost and its nearly three pound weight. As a former editor I was a little annoyed by a few typos that crept in, but they do not diminish the Guides exceptional quality. The Complete Guide is valuable for anyone starting a planned giving program or any development office or development officer starting or updating a reference library. For further information, visit www.debraashton.com or write to: Ashton Associates, 24 Robertson Street, Quincy, MA 02169.

Jeanne Betsock Stillman is an ADO Board Member and is Principal, Strategies for Development, Helping organizations meet their development goals, 166 Edgars Lane, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914-478-3450); jbs@stratdev.com; www.stratdev.com.