054: Avoiding Problems When Naming Charities in Your California Probate Plan with Brie Griset Smith

Most clients know which causes they love — but not how to make that generosity work for decades after they're gone. In this conversation, we hear guest Brie Griset Smith, CSPG, Chief Development Officer at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF), explain how community foundations turn charitable wishes into long-term, workable plans. We explore why naming a specific charity in a will or trust can backfire if the organization — or even the cause — disappears, and how IECF's variance power keeps gifts aligned with donor intent without going back to court.

We walk through donor options such as scholarship funds, field-of-interest funds, and endowed funds with a 4% spending policy, plus how memoranda of intent and successor advisors help families involve future generations. Listeners learn how attorneys and IECF can team up so clients gain deeper, more flexible charitable plans while professionals expand the level of service they provide.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Risks of naming specific charities in estate planning if the nonprofit or cause disappears
• How the Inland Empire Community Foundation uses variance power to honor donor intent
• Comparing direct charitable bequests to using funds at a community foundation
• Scholarship, field-of-interest, donor advised, and endowed funds as options for clients
• Memoranda of intent as living documents that capture detailed charitable wishes
• Successor advisors and involving children or grandchildren in ongoing family giving
• IECF's 85th anniversary goals and its partnerships with nonprofits and legal professionals

Resources from this Episode

https://www.iegives.org/

The 6-Stage Probate Process: How to Navigate California Probate: https://a.co/d/82310Rw

Follow and Review:

We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you.