We recently heard of a non profit mailing out its annual report with a notice inside that read “In an effort to keep our costs low and use our resources to provide more food, we have reduced the size of our Annual Report. Please go to our website for a list of donors, volunteers and community partners.”
Practice thinking like your prospect. Who are they? What do they care about? What are their hopes, fears, dreams? What are their deepest desires?
Age-Based Marketing isn’t just outdated—it’s brain-dead. Today’s 60-year-olds are launching businesses, not shuffling off to Florida in a golf cart. If you’re still segmenting donors by age, you’re marketing like it’s 1985. Planned giving requires intelligence, nuance, and relevance. Want real results? Stop guessing based on birthdates. Start targeting based on behavior, mindset, and motivation. Because nothing says “lazy fundraiser” like treating a 45-year-old entrepreneur like a retiree.
With the recent plunge in the value of investment portfolios, some chief financial officers and development professionals are wondering whether they should remain “in the business” of offering gift annuities to their donors.
Many development officers are wondering where to focus their efforts during these uncertain times. Whether times are good or bad, the answer may surprise you: It's planned giving.
People give when they are ready to give, not when you are ready to sell (i.e., "ask"). So, just because your lead is not ready to buy (donate) today, doesn't mean they aren't important. That's why we develop relationships.
Helping your donors meet the December 31 tax deadline means that you can plan on staying longer and doing more than just about everyone else — except for your office’s gifts processor. So plan a nice rest in January (Isn’t there a planned giving conference in the Caribbean, then? There should be...) and get ready for the year-end sprint.
“Response rates from newsletters are down! Attendance at my annual seminar is way off...” fundraisers tell us.
It’s my experience that your audience is the single most powerful and most important element in the mix. If your marketing campaign is to get results, whether you use direct mail, print pieces, or e-mail, you must first make certain that the right audience is getting your message. As I see it, finding the right audience determines 60 percent of the outcome.
In planned giving marketing, it's virtually impossible to guess direct mail response rates unless you've had a control group you've been experimenting with for years.
With improper messaging you'll become an unwelcome pest instead of a welcome guest in your donors' mind.
Your organization helps teenagers with substance abuse. One of your board members announces he’s received a large inheritance from his grandfather and is going to donate $250,000 in his grandfather’s name. The local paper discovers granddad made his money from the sale and distribution of alcohol.
Making Estate Planning Accessible, Simple, Personal, Secure and FREE!
Bequests are up, cash is down. Empower your donors to plan their will and invest their legacy in the cause they support the most.
Please reach out. Note: if you give us your mailing address (or PO Box), we’ll send you a complimentary Planned Giving Gift Comparison Chart.