Category: Planned Giving Marketing

Involve engage sign
Major Gifts
Caitlin Fillmore

Engage Major Donors with a Commissioning Club

The textbook definition of a commission is, “a fee paid to an agent or employee for transacting a piece of business or performing a service.” However I prefer to think of a commission, in terms of the nonprofit world, as connecting inspiration with financial and community support. Commissioning clubs provide a uniquely inspirational way to connect major donors intimately with the cause they care about.

Read More »
Culture of Philanthropy
Major Gifts
Caitlin Fillmore

Don’t Build a Major Gifts Program Without a Culture of Philanthropy

A culture of philanthropy ranks as one of the most vital foundations to a successful development department. Nonprofits looking to boost fundraising and build substantial relationships with major donors should first measure the strength of their organization’s culture of philanthropy.

Read More »
Minimum
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Should My Nonprofit’s Board Set a Minimum Gift?

Many nonprofits choose to set a clear fundraising expectation from each member of their nonprofit board. However some nonprofits choose to let their board members decide the amount of their gift to the organization each year. Others permit board volunteers to give in ways that aren’t financial. But what are the risks and rewards of setting a minimum board giving level?

Read More »
Online Will Planning
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Web-Based Will-Making Software

One of the cleverest recent developments in planned giving are online solutions allowing donors to create their own will, at little cost and with no legal intervention. Is this a good idea? What are the advantages (or disadvantages) for nonprofits and development pros?

Read More »
Emotional Intelligence
Major Gifts
Barbara Kappel

Emotional Intelligence: The Key Ingredient to Major Gifts Success

I have experienced many rewarding moments among top philanthropic donors and nonprofit leaders. If you are reading this article, you likely fit within one or both of these populations and understand that, as Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Read More »
An image showing a woman's hands stretching a tape measure across the bottom of the word "success," to illustrate a PlannedGiving.Com blog post called "How do you measure fundraising success?"
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

How Do You Measure Fundraising Success?

We’re asked this question often. And since marketing is such a complex field, the answer can certainly be complex. In fact, the definition of success is subjective – and sometimes it is all over the place. But as you know, I believe in not just simplifying, but oversimplifying. So I’m going to answer in trademark PlannedGiving.Com fashion and break it down into basics.

Read More »
King David playing the harp
Faith Based Giving
Jerry Rohrbach

King David’s Planned Gift Built The First Temple

In anticipation of this great construction project, King David accumulated immense quantities of gold, silver, bronze, precious stones and exotic woods. Then, knowing he was serving a higher power, he bequeathed those assets to his son Solomon, along with God’s instructions for the design of the temple. (Even in Biblical times, donors were particular about how their planned gifts could be used …)

Read More »
You Had Me At Bequest
Bequests
Mindy Aleman

You Had Me at Bequest

Too often, once a prospect has documented his/her bequest intentions, the donor acknowledgment period lasts through several months of standard thank-you letters, a holiday greeting or goodie, and perhaps a recognition dinner (depending on level of gift). The donor’s name is summarily noted in recognition reports, on walls of fame, etched onto a plaque or mug, and whisked away into a legacy giving society. Then, it drops off the crevice into the deep, dark hole of “no further action required.”

Read More »
Government Agent
Bequests
Patrick O'Donnell

Final Invoice

The good news is, by creating a will and preparing for the first, you can reduce the burden of the second — both on yourself, and on your heirs. That’s because creating a will gives you the opportunity to put your affairs in order and ensure you’re in control of your own legacy.

Read More »