Elizabeth B Manchester

Elizabeth Manchester is familiar with the competing interests and stakeholders within a nonprofit institution and can translate that into sound, useful legal advice. Elizabeth is the best legal advisor to assist you, because she has been in your shoes as a nonprofit advocate and employee. Her unique background includes experience working internally in two large, sophisticated planned and estate giving programs for nonprofit organizations as a director. Elizabeth has extensive legal experience advising nonprofits about fundraising, taxation and corporate governance and advising individuals about estate, tax and charitable gift planning.  She began her legal career at the Providence firm of Davis, Kilmarx, Swan & Bowling and then practiced at the Providence office of Nixon Peabody LLP. She then moved to Brown University into the role of Associate Director of Planned Giving. She is presently the Director of Planned Giving at Providence College since June 2013.  Her background as an estate planner and business lawyer is ideally suited to represent your nonprofit’s legal interests in this complex area.

Navigating the legal world surrounding gift acceptance and planning giving may seem like a daunting task for a nonprofit institution. You may initially speak to a donor and think a transaction is straight forward, but the legal complexities are revealed as you move forward with the process. Legal expertise will allow your institution to be fully prepared for gift acceptance with appropriate internal policies. Elizabeth will also help you understand the variety of tax benefits available to donors to help you leverage gift discussions appropriately and advance your mission. She will also assist with preparation of legal documents associated with complex life income gifts, endowment gifts and gift agreements. She can advise you regarding up to date laws and regulations affecting IRA rollovers, donor advised funds, restricted gifts and a myriad of other topics.

Elizabeth is a board member and volunteers for several nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island, including the Mal Brown Club of Providence College, Rhode Island Communities for Addiction Recovery Efforts, the Roger Williams University Pro Bono Collaborative, the Women’s Resource Center of Newport and Bristol Counties and Bethany Home of Rhode Island. She was nominated in 2016 and appointed to the board of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning of Rhode Island. She was also selected to be a participant in the Mu II 2016 class of Leadership Rhode Island. She is married to Bernard Manchester and resides in Providence.