CATEGORY
Strategies and best practices for communicating planned giving effectively. Covers messaging, content development, digital presence, donor education, and positioning planned giving as a core component of fundraising strategy.
If you want your planned giving websites to do more than just take up space – if you want it to actually communicate with your prospects and motivate them to plan a gift – here are the features to look for, and the ones to avoid.
As we settle into another month of staying indoors, a lot of people and so-called experts are making a lot of speculations about what’s next — for public health, for the economy, for our society as a whole. Here’s what we think the fundraising future holds…
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. ~ Martin Luther
These six planned giving facts may sound a bit harsh, but they’re the truth — and they’re crucial if you want to succeed in the field.
If you want people to pay attention to your direct mail intended to raise money, let those who are “smart” in marketing have the final say, not attorneys or tenured professors. Invest in donor-centric planned giving marketing!
Does the economy have you down? Fear not! People still have money to spend. In fact, for nonprofits, it’s ALWAYS a world of fundraising abundance!
Fact: Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) rate tables or gift illustrations/examples really don’t work well. Non-profits want them in their CGA marketing pieces because they see them in everyone else’s stuff, but the reality is that they rarely bring in a gift. Or bring in the wrong type of gift. Instead, focus on donor stories in your CGA ads and other marketing!
“But we want the cash, now,” we often hear. Well, we would have had the cash now if we had not deferred it in the first place. Get started now! Don’t defer planned giving.
The congregation sighs and settles in for what the pastor knows is actually their least favorite Sunday. “Please take a look at the insert in your bulletin,” he continues. “You’ll see that we didn’t meet our budget again this year.” His audience knows where this is going: The church is struggling to accomplish its mission, but the congregation is not pulling its weight in terms of monetary contributions.
I recall one afternoon when the entire staff from the development office was running around like chickens with their heads cut off, screaming at everyone because a donor’s name was misspelled on the roster. Did the donor care?
Free Online Will & Estate Planning Tool for Charitable Giving
A donor-facing estate planning tool designed to help document charitable intent.
For those who drive change — not watch it. Join the top 1%.