> He fueled the nonprofit’s growth partly through unorthodox fundraising. Tessellations offered parents a deal: pay half their tuition as a donation for a tax write-off. “Lawyers say, ‘Please don’t do that,’” Stanat recalled, “I’m like, ‘But is it illegal?’ ‘No, not illegal.’ ‘OK, great, we’ll do it.’”

How?

This structure is not an unusual in education, especially in institutions where the tuition is smaller component of the cost and you are expected to give much more than that.

A donation to the trust, or even an endowment is typical for the other component . If the institution is non profit depending on the part of the world you can claim tax benefits, or even in the tuition itself .

Accounting and tax is not always black and white . At times more riskier clients may choose more aggressive practices either expecting on not being audited or be able to defend it with expensive experts if they are.

It’s how the sociopath recalls his conversation with lawyers. Not anything any lawyer’s actually saying.