customizing Your Giving Home Donation
When Georgette Polonsky and the late Dr. Leonard Polonsky donated their vacation home to FJC, the proceeds of sale funded a major gift at the New York Public Library.

August 27, 2026

FJC Complex Asset Donations Featured in Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Chronicle of Philanthropy published a column by FJC CEO Sam Marks this week titled, “Start Asking Donors What They own, Not Just What They’ll Give” (8/24/2026). The column featured examples of contributions of non-liquid assets from our imaginative donors.

The article references the following examples:

Framed as advice for operating nonprofits, Marks’s column notes that wealthier donors tend to have more complex balance sheets with assets that are not immediately converted to cash, such as interests in businesses, or real estate.  The article encouraged nonprofits to engage donors in giving in the context of their broader estate planning. Operating nonprofits do not necessarily have to become experts in due diligence such gifts if they work with intermediaries like FJC. 

Marks notes, “Once donors realize they aren’t limited to giving cash or publicly traded stock, they begin thinking differently about philanthropy.”

Marks described FJC’s due diligence process in the column, excerpted here:

Behind every successful gift of a complex asset is a rigorous due-diligence process meant to protect both the organization and the donor.

Before FJC accepts a complex asset, we confirm the donor owns it and can transfer it, look for legal and tax complications, estimate what the asset will cost to hold, and ask whether and when it can realistically be sold.

We also guard against donors who pursue these gifts in bad faith — someone looking to claim a tax deduction while offloading an underperforming asset that may never convert to cash, for example. Our goal is to steward these resources so they can help nonprofits achieve their missions, not to hold them indefinitely; so we reject contributions where liquidity is too remote.

A useful test for any proposed gift: Can we determine its value? Can we reasonably convert it to cash? What financial, legal, or operational responsibilities would ownership create? An asset that fails any of those tests — one that needs specialized valuation, carries ongoing expenses, or requires serious legal review — is a signal to bring in help rather than go it alone.

Have questions? Considering a donation of assets that aren’t cash or appreciated securities?  Take a look at our FAQ and reach out to CEO Sam Marks.