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  • 1.  Bequest Expectancy age restriction

    Posted 03-20-2025 09:15 AM

    Good morning.  I have two questions...

    We are currently following CASE rules when it comes to recording Bequest Expectancies.  The donor must be age 65 or older to be recorded in our database.  What if the Bequest document is signed by both spouses and one qualifies at age 65 and the other won't be 65 for several more years?  We are currently using Tessitura as our donor database and all entries need to be done in the household record rather than at the individual level.

    What process do other organizations use to track Bequest Expectancies that do not qualify (age restrictions) in their databases?  We are discussing recording the Expectancy at $1 and future dating a CSI (Customer Service Issue) based on when the donor does reach the qualifying age.  Would be interested in if that are other ideas out there.

    Thanks



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    Margaret McGraw
    Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
    MMcGraw@CWF.org
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  • 2.  RE: Bequest Expectancy age restriction

    Posted 03-20-2025 10:00 AM
    The age-65 suggestion is not a "rule" but a guideline. If you follow the CASE suggestion to the letter, it applies primarily to campaign counting and permits you to count the expectancy as long as the donor will be 65 by the end of the campaign."

    Based on observations in the field, institutions honoring the 65-age guideline will count the bequest only when both individuals meet that criteria in second-to-die scenarios.

    Based on similar observations, in roughly 50% of campaigns I have audited, the institution opted to count all bequests regardless of the donor's age-but they did note the exception in their campaign counting policy and typically set a "not to exceed" goal for those to avoid inflated campaign totals.

    Nothing prevents you from recording and counting bequests internally at any age when you are not in a campaign, although CASE does discourage it (and urges separate totals). So, most will record the full amount when it is known. It would not be appropriate to "ignore" that amount now and count it later when the donor reaches 65 (assuming you are talking about camping counting). Following CASE Standards, you should only count "new" donations during a future campaign.

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987






  • 3.  RE: Bequest Expectancy age restriction

    Posted 03-21-2025 03:31 PM

    Hi Margaret,

    For bequests where a spouse will be less than 65 by the end of our campaign we have not been counting them - we have been recording them and coding them with a "Giving Code" to exclude them from campaign counting for our current campaign. We're on Affinaquest, but I presume Tessitura likely has some similar functionality for coding a gift  - then you can exclude those from your fundraising reports, while still capturing the data/information.

    For us, the rationale is that we will be able to review the list and hopefully count them during our next campaign. The exclusion filter has been working well for us so far - and we are nearing the end of our campaign, so we'll start reviewing the excluded group in more detail in the months to come.

    Cheers,

    Emily



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    Emily Konisky
    Emory University
    Emily.Konisky@emory.edu
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    Original Message


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