By: Barbara Yeager

Nearly 800 gift planners attended this year’s CGP Conference in Reno, NV. Why do attendees say the conference is so valuable? For one thing, it’s a clearinghouse for data that shape realistic expectations for gift planning success, including these:

From an analysis of 12,998 “typical” DAF accounts at community foundations and religiously-affiliated organizations over a four year period: 14% of DAF accounts had an average of zero grantees, meaning they did not grant in any year during the four-year period. About 38% of DAFs granted to an average of 1 to 3 grantees per year. The remaining 49% granted from 4 up to 20+ grantees. (The Latest Research on Donor-Advised Funds, Danielle Vance-McMullen and H. Daniel Heist)

In a study of 113 donors of color with liquid net worth of $1m or more, 30% of HNW donors of color reported that they had charitable gifts in place through a planned giving instrument. According to the U.S. Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy, across all HNW donors, the rate of planned giving is around 22%. (Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Planned Giving, Jade Bristol)

Over the long term, inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), has averaged approximately 3.25% per year. Donors should know that if inflation averages 3.25% over time, an annuity payment in year 10 will purchase only about 75% of what it did in the first year, and only about 55% after 20 years. At higher rates of inflation, even more purchasing power is lost over time. (CRT Investment Principles Gift Planning Officers Should Know, Ngan Raskin and Damon Whelchel)

Fidelity’s latest estimate that a 65-year-old couple retiring in 2009 will need approximately $240,000 to cover medical expenses in retirement more than doubles to approximately $495,000 if one spouse were to develop a debilitating disease such as Alzheimer’s. Fidelity’s survey of 350 advisors found that 96 percent do not feel fully prepared to assist clients with Alzheimer’s. (When Worlds Collide: Collaboration Between Charitable Gift Planners and Financial Planners, Rob Hofmann, Lani McCollar, Angie O’Leary and Marty Dutch)

If you attended the 2022 conference, please share the most valuable thing you learned in the comments. If you didn’t attend, tell us why using this form.

Save the date for next year’s CGP Conference—November 1-3, 2023, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown on the Magnificent Mile. The Call for Presentations for the 2023 conference will be online in February.