Planned Giving Marketing

I was invited to speak at a national charity conference with over 800 attendees. Some of them were Directors of Operations and even Chief Executive Officers. So where the heck were all the leadership types hiding? The conference had something for everyone—operations, finance, strategy, and even high-level fundraising philosophy. It was a huge success. Except for my session on planned giving marketing. Read on. The room was filled with enthusiastic young fundraisers, which was great to see. Planned giving represents the robust

Our clients, friends and prospects often ask which term is better to use for their marketing efforts, “Planned Giving” or “Gift Planning”. This is a decades-old dispute and I am getting tired of it. So I decided to write this blog to end the argument. If anyone is ready to spar, sharpen your blade (well, pencil is okay). A few nonprofits have migrated to Gift Planning because it sounds more “sophisticated.” Others argue that Planned Giving has been around too

A friend once relayed an anecdote about simple, effective communication that turned out to be a near-perfect teaching moment for fundraisers. Not because it involved a campaign, a brand, or a consultant—but precisely because it didn’t. She was helping out an elderly couple who lived down the hall of her apartment complex. The wife had a serious health condition that had suddenly worsened, leaving her largely confined to bed. My friend stepped in to help them find a hospital-style bed—quickly,