How Sierra Club incidentally inspired Fiscal Highlands

When I was working with Sierra Club, I saw first-hand how donor wishes can take a back seat to the pressures of the moment. It's part of the insparatoin behind Fiscal Highlands.

As an estate planning attorney, I take great pride in crafting estate plans with my clients that contemplete gifts to charity. Oftentimes, my clients wish for their donations to go to a particular program or be used for specific purpose. Restricting donations like this can be helpful in establishing accountabilty for the recipient organization. A well-crafted restriction should also be helpful in providing guidance to the recipient organizaton as to what is, and what is not, a permissible use of funds.

Even if you are not concerned about the misappropriation of funds, restricted donations may be helpful in ensuring that a disproportionate amount is not used for salaries and administrative expenses.

Read more about my Fiscal Highlands philosophy and nonprofit consulting services here.