I think that you need to look at giving in the time the gifts were made if it is to have a relevance to solicitation techniques. I am not sure that the planned gifts referred to outpaced current major gifts in the time they were created. The fact remains that comparisons should be done accurately, and the MSNBC squib was misleading in its comparison and "shift" terminology.

Having said that, I certainly favor increased emphasis, during these times, on revocable planned gifts. It's the best strategy in uncertain times.

Thanks for your comments.

Dick