CAP Customer Relations & Service 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A donor requests complete anonymity for a major gift to a hospital. During a relationship review, the hospital's development officer inadvertently reveals the donor's identity to the advisor. The advisor should:
- Inform the donor immediately that their anonymity was breached
- Do nothing, since the disclosure was accidental
- Document the breach and discuss with the donor how they wish to proceed, including whether to address it with the hospital (Correct answer)
- Terminate the relationship with the hospital on the donor's behalf without consulting the donor
Correct answer: Document the breach and discuss with the donor how they wish to proceed, including whether to address it with the hospital
The donor should be informed and empowered to decide how to respond, with the advisor's role being to support and document rather than act unilaterally.
Question 2: A CAP professional's client wants to make a transformational gift to a small community organization with limited administrative infrastructure. The advisor's primary responsibility before facilitating the gift is to:
- Insist the organization hire professional staff before accepting the gift
- Conduct capacity due diligence to assess whether the organization can steward a gift of this size (Correct answer)
- Reduce the gift amount without discussing it with the client
- Recommend a donor-advised fund instead without exploring the client's preference
Correct answer: Conduct capacity due diligence to assess whether the organization can steward a gift of this size
Capacity due diligence protects both the donor's philanthropic intent and the receiving organization from being overwhelmed by a gift it cannot manage.
Question 3: During a client meeting, a donor reveals they are being pressured by family members to redirect foundation funds toward personal expenses. A CAP advisor should:
- Draft a memo supporting the family's request to maintain the relationship
- Ignore the comment since it falls outside the scope of philanthropy advising
- Inform the donor of their legal fiduciary duties and suggest they consult legal counsel (Correct answer)
- Report the family members to authorities immediately
Correct answer: Inform the donor of their legal fiduciary duties and suggest they consult legal counsel
Foundation assets are subject to strict legal restrictions, and the advisor's duty is to educate the donor about fiduciary obligations and recommend appropriate legal counsel.
Question 4: A long-term philanthropic client begins missing scheduled meetings and is slow to respond to communications. The most professional response is to:
- Assume the client is no longer interested and pause all service activities
- Send a formal notice that the account will be closed due to inactivity
- Reach out with genuine concern and offer flexible alternatives for staying connected (Correct answer)
- Increase the frequency of outreach emails to re-engage them
Correct answer: Reach out with genuine concern and offer flexible alternatives for staying connected
A caring, flexible approach acknowledges that life circumstances change and keeps the door open without creating pressure.
Question 5: A donor wants to establish a scholarship fund but has very specific eligibility criteria that may limit the pool to a handful of applicants per year. The advisor should:
- Reject the criteria outright as too restrictive
- Accept the criteria without comment to satisfy the donor
- Discuss sustainability concerns with the donor and explore whether broader criteria better serve the long-term mission (Correct answer)
- Suggest the donor create a prize instead of a scholarship
Correct answer: Discuss sustainability concerns with the donor and explore whether broader criteria better serve the long-term mission
A transparent conversation about sustainability ensures the fund remains viable and meaningful over time while respecting the donor's underlying intent.
Question 6: Which approach best demonstrates a CAP professional's commitment to ongoing client education in philanthropy?
- Providing a single comprehensive guide at onboarding and relying on the donor to stay current
- Sharing relevant sector news, research, and emerging giving strategies during regular client interactions (Correct answer)
- Limiting education to formal seminars held once a year
- Only educating clients when they ask a direct question
Correct answer: Sharing relevant sector news, research, and emerging giving strategies during regular client interactions
Integrating current knowledge into regular interactions positions the advisor as a trusted, proactive resource rather than a reactive one.
Question 7: A client expresses dissatisfaction with the grant-making results of their private foundation over the past three years. The CAP advisor's most constructive response is to:
- Defend all past recommendations to maintain professional credibility
- Acknowledge the concern, review the grant-making strategy together, and co-develop an improvement plan (Correct answer)
- Suggest the client convert the foundation to a donor-advised fund to avoid future frustration
- Refer the client to the IRS for guidance on improving foundation performance
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concern, review the grant-making strategy together, and co-develop an improvement plan
Collaborative review and shared problem-solving turns dissatisfaction into an opportunity to deepen the partnership and improve outcomes.
CAP Customer Relations & Service 3
A donor requests complete anonymity for a major gift to a hospital.
During a relationship review, the hospital's development officer inadvertently reveals the donor's identity to the advisor.
The advisor should: