Jan 29 2026 12:00PM

Reading is Fundamental: An Introduction to Reviewing Documents and Identifying Issues

Whether a donor provides you with a hard copy or an attorney emails you a PDF, gift planners need to be ready to review estate and trust documents. We will learn to identify the key components of a trust document (trustor/grantor, trustee, beneficiary, property, etc.) and what to do with that information. After learning to identify different components, we will examine actual clauses from various trusts (estate gifts, CRUTs, CRATs) and put our knowledge to work. The goal will be both to identify potential gifts, organizational responsibilities, potential pitfalls, and ultimately how to make recommendations to internal Gift Acceptance Committees. We will practice by reviewing sample clauses, ultimately learning how to develop sustainable, repeatable procedures for tackling even the most convoluted and arcane documents. Our goal will be to develop an increased ability to review a potential gift document, so that you are prepared to engage internal and external stakeholders, as well as to know what types of outside assistance you might need to administer and accept a future charitable gift.