Planned Giving Workbook (With CD-ROM)

Rating:
Summary: Compilation of template documents
Review: Book Review:

Planned Giving Workbook
By Ronald R. Jordan and Kathelyn L. Quynn
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2002

Reviewed by:

Norman Olshansky, President
NFP Consulting Resources, Inc.



The Planned Giving Workbook is a compilation of model documents, which are used in the course of conducting a planned giving program.

There are 425 documents presented in the workbook and/or within the CD-ROM, which comes with the publication. The documents are classified under 7 categories.
Marketing
Agreements
Correspondence
Administrative Documents
Exhibits
Presentations
Tax and IRS Documents

The documents are presented in a way that allows the reader/user to adapt them to their own program. While there is a lot of repetition of language, the book and especially the CD-ROM, can be helpful to those who are beginning or are new to planned giving. The documents provide templates for forms and other instruments, which should be in every planned giving professional's arsenal.

The authors properly note that all of the documents need to be reviewed and updated from a legal, tax and "calculation of rates" perspective. Most of the documents were prepared prior to 2001 and therefore do not reflect the most recent changes and updates which have occurred since that time.

The CD-ROM is the most valuable component of the workbook. There is also a very good section in the book that reviews how to prepare documents and outlines what are the most important components of a good document. That section relates more to writing skills rather than charitable giving content.

The title of the book is somewhat misleading since it is not a publication that deals with the totality of Planned Giving but rather one aspect.........the .development of documents used in the execution of a planned giving program. The book has a useful index and the CD is easy to use. This publication and CD-ROM should be seen more as a reference resource for ongoing use, rather than as a primer on planned giving.