Author: Viken Mikaelian

Red sign that spells out engage — for a planned giving seminar
Stewardship and Relationships
Viken Mikaelian

How to Draw an Audience to Your Planned Giving Seminar

Most planned giving seminars fail to attract an audience because donors don’t prioritize giving in their daily lives. Instead of focusing solely on charitable gifts, nonprofits should offer educational estate planning presentations that provide real value. Our turnkey estate and legacy planning seminar engages donors by addressing their financial well-being while seamlessly introducing planned giving. No dull lectures, no snoozefests—just engaging, high-value content that keeps donors interested and fosters long-term relationships.

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Blocks spelling our funding on a table over economic and financial charts and graphs
Sustainability
Viken Mikaelian

Stop Begging, Start Planning: Why Foundations Are Done Funding Complacent Nonprofits

For too long, nonprofits have relied on reactive fundraising—chasing grants and emergency appeals. Today’s foundations demand more, prioritizing organizations with sustainable strategies over those operating crisis-to-crisis. The $68 trillion wealth transfer presents unprecedented opportunities, but only for nonprofits with modern planned giving programs. As Trump-era policy shifts demonstrated, diversified funding models provide essential resilience. Organizations clinging to outdated methods—like complex calculators and printed newsletters—are losing to those focused on donor relationships and digital engagement. The future belongs to nonprofits that plan strategically, not those that plead desperately.

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Image of flying envelopes - scattered against a yellow background.
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Should Your Planned Giving Postcards Have A Reply Mechanism?

Clients and friends often ask if including a reply mechanism on their planned giving postcards is worth the added expense. It depends on the circumstances, but generally, I do not feel it’s worth it. As we all know, planned giving is a low-response business. So even with the most successful direct mail programs, we see very few reply cards actually filled out and returned. However, this does not mean your information is not getting read. It’s just that most people are not going to take the time to respond, on a whim, to questions about a subject that requires some in-depth thought and planning. See this page for planned giving marketing strategies. Remember: You are not selling sweepstakes. You’re educating. You’re reminding. And you’re building relationships. Why Frequency Matters More Than a Response Card What does this mean for you? You’ll have additional opportunities to reach your prospects. Marketing 101 says the more touches, the better. So nix the expensive response card and use the savings to send out more touches. Mail your marketing materials more often instead of including a reply mechanism. After one or two postcards, you’ll have piqued some of your prospects’ interest. Card #3 might go on the fridge as a reminder to discuss it with the hubby. After card 4 or 5, maybe some of them will even call. Or you’ll call them to say “thank you” for a past annual gift, and they’ll remember those postcards and say, “What is this about some gift that pays me retirement income for life…?” Bingo. A door just opened. Now’s your chance (have you practiced your elevator pitch?). For more insights on effective donor engagement, check out our Planned Giving Tools. The Psychology Behind Effective Postcards Planned giving decisions are rarely made impulsively. Unlike consumer purchases, where an enticing offer may trigger an immediate response, planned giving requires thoughtful deliberation. Your goal should be to create a long-term brand impression that keeps your nonprofit top of mind when the donor is ready. Repetition Builds Familiarity: Studies show that repeated exposure to a message increases trust and recognition. A single postcard is easy to ignore, but a series of well-crafted messages builds credibility over time. Emotional Triggers Enhance Engagement: Stories about real donors who have left impactful legacies resonate more than generic messaging. Simplicity Drives Action: Overloading postcards with information can be counterproductive. Instead, a clear, compelling message with an easy call to action works best. Want to see successful postcard templates? Browse our Planned Giving Postcard Examples. Two Caveats to Consider High Mailing Volume Can Change the Game If your mailing quantity is quite high—say 30,000 pieces or more—then it’s a different ballgame. At those quantities, the pricing between the two products becomes essentially the same because of the volume. Solicitation Letters Are Different I do believe there is a time and place for a response card. When and where? Well, for starters, solicitation letters are a good opportunity to enclose a reply vehicle. There is usually no extra cost, and a reader who has made it through an entire letter (as opposed to a postcard, which is just a 10-second read) is already more engaged and therefore more likely to respond. For expert insights into solicitation letters, visit PlannedGiving.com. Best Practices for Planned Giving Postcard Campaigns Use Emotional Storytelling People respond to emotions more than data. Instead of just listing the benefits of planned giving, tell stories of real donors who made an impact. Feature testimonials and success stories that show how legacy gifts make a difference. Integrate Multi-Channel Follow-Ups A postcard is just one touchpoint. Use it as a trigger for email follow-ups, phone calls, or even social media engagement. For instance, if a donor visits your planned giving webpage after receiving a postcard, follow up with an email providing additional details or an invitation to an informational webinar. Make the Call-to-Action Simple Rather than a complicated reply mechanism, provide a short and clear CTA like “Learn more at PlannedGiving.com” or “Call us at [your number].” Keep the barrier to action as low as possible. Leverage Retargeting for Higher Engagement If your postcards are driving traffic to your website, use digital retargeting ads to continue engaging those visitors with planned giving reminders. A well-timed retargeting ad can keep your message in front of prospects, increasing the likelihood of conversion. Experiment with QR Codes Adding a QR code that links directly to your planned giving page or a short educational video can enhance engagement. Many donors, particularly younger ones, prefer digital interactions over filling out physical reply cards. Segment Your Audience Different donor segments respond to different messages. Consider creating customized postcards based on donor history, age group, or giving preferences. For instance: Loyal annual donors might respond well to messaging about how they can extend their impact beyond their lifetime. Older donors may be interested in gift annuities that provide income for life. Younger professionals may need education on tax-smart giving strategies. For donor segmentation strategies, visit PlannedGiving.com. How to Track the Success of Your Postcard Campaign Tracking response rates and engagement is crucial for optimizing your planned giving marketing. Here are some ways to measure success: Unique URLs & Landing Pages: Use a dedicated landing page URL (e.g., PlannedGiving.com/YourCampaign) to track visitors who came from your postcard. Call Tracking: Assign a unique phone number to your campaign to measure inbound inquiries. QR Code Analytics: If you use QR codes, track the number of scans and visitor behavior on your site. Google Analytics UTM Tracking: Tag links with UTM parameters to see how much traffic your postcards drive to your website. A/B Testing: Send two variations of a postcard and measure which one generates more engagement. For a complete guide on measuring planned giving marketing effectiveness, visit PlannedGiving.com. Postcards Work, But Strategy Matters Planned giving marketing is all about staying top of mind. Rather than relying on a response mechanism that rarely delivers, focus on: Consistency in messaging and frequency of outreach Using storytelling

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Picture of a child with hand over head acting confused
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

The Mind Hates Confusion: How Simplicity Drives Fundraising Success

When donors don’t understand, they hesitate. When they hesitate, they procrastinate. When they procrastinate, you lose gifts. It’s that simple. Eliminate the confusion. Use straightforward language. Make calls to action crystal clear. Focus on the emotion, not the process. And above all, keep it simple. Because the mind hates confusion—and confused donors don’t give. Take a look at your current fundraising materials. Everything. Are they clear? Simple? Easy to act on? If not, start simplifying today.

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Worried fundraiser gazing into her laptop
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

The Worried Fundraiser

Political shifts spark fundraising panic, but it’s not the end of the world. Every politician exaggerates, and tax laws change—like the SECURE Act and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—but nonprofits with a strategic, balanced approach thrive regardless of who’s in office. Planned giving is the key to stability, shielding organizations from volatility and donor hesitation. Fear repels donors; confidence attracts them. History proves planned gifts endure economic downturns. Now is the time to act—secure commitments, diversify funding, and plan ahead. Stop worrying and start building a future that isn’t dictated by political tides.

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Banner for Planned Giving Boot Camp and Major Gifts Boot Camp 
Company News
Viken Mikaelian

Joe Garecht Joins MajorGifts.com as Senior Advisor

Joe Garecht has joined the Center for Major Gifts as a Senior Advisor, bringing over 25 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising. Joe specializes in building fundraising systems to help organizations dramatically increase revenue. He will contribute articles, webinars, white papers, and courses, and lead the Major Gifts Boot Camp, complementing the Planned Giving Boot Camp by Jonathan Gudema. This addition enhances the organization’s planned giving services for over 5,000 charities.

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1959 Chevrolet Corvette C1 convertible, red classic car with chrome grille and whitewall tires, parked on a city street.
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Gifts of Appreciated Stuff Are Much Appreciated

  Don’t Keep Them Bottled Up! Some of you who never read Forbes Magazine might think it’s just a stuffy business periodical designed for men in gray suits who dream in pie charts. But how stuffy can a magazine really be when it runs a glowing feature on “investment-grade” Scotch whisky? That’s right. Investment-grade. As in, the kind of Scotch that doesn’t go in your liquor cabinet so much as your portfolio. Because apparently, in today’s world, a bottle of booze might outperform your 401(k. And with dollar values per fifth reaching into the five and six figures, what nonprofit wouldn’t appreciate a donation of such a very special bottle of, shall we say, “liquid assets”? The Fine Art of Gifting Booze (No, Really) When canny marketers decide to pull the cork on high-end snob appeal, the sky’s the limit — at least for them. Me? My personal Scotch budget caps out at $45 a bottle, and only if I’m feeling especially flush or it’s payday. But the players in this new savory game usually add a couple extra zeroes to so minuscule an amount that it might as well be lint. And they’re a perfect example of the kind of collectible gifts you, dear fundraiser, should not only accept at your nonprofit, but actively encourage. Because if someone wants to give you a tax-deductible bottle of Glenfiddich that could double as a down payment on a Tesla, well, you’d better have a nice display case — or at the very least, a strong lock on your wet bar. Padlock Your Wet Bar Let’s get specific. Here’s a little taste (pun intended) of just how outlandish — and delicious — this world can get. Take the Annie Liebovitz Scotch Collection, for example. Yes, that Annie Liebovitz. The one who photographs celebrities in flowing gowns and tortured lighting. For a mere $2,750, you not only get a bottle of Scotch, but also a limited-edition print by the legendary photographer. Imagine sipping your Scotch under the soulful gaze of a black-and-white print of Patti Smith, while contemplating how your nonprofit can turn booze into an endowment. Other more “robust” examples: Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare – $75,000 Dalmore ‘64 Trinitas – $160,100 Glenfiddich 1937 – $71,700 And no, those aren’t typos. That’s not the value of a case — that’s per bottle. It makes your cousin’s “top-shelf” $38 bottle of Glenlivet look like Capri Sun at a frat party. Back in 2012, traffic in such tasty trifles was up 550% over 2008, and according to Andy Simpson, founder of Whiskey Highland (which sounds like either a hedge fund or a Netflix crime series), the top 250 bottles delivered 206% appreciation over that four-year period. If your retirement portfolio looked like that, you wouldn’t be reading this article — you’d be on a yacht off Sardinia sipping from a bottle of that Dalmore ‘64 Trinitas. And if you’re looking to take your obsession to new heights — or depths, depending on how you frame it — there’s always New York’s “1494” whiskey club, where a collector’s membership runs a modest $25,000. As Forbes says (probably while swirling a Glencairn glass), “And if the rare-whiskey market should collapse? Just drink your losses.” Try that with your crypto portfolio. A Toast to Fundraising Relevance Now before you lunge for your rolodex in search of your wealthiest alcoholic donor, take a deep breath. The real point here isn’t to build your organization’s next capital campaign around single malts (though let’s admit, that would be fun). It’s to recognize that gifts of personal property — appreciated “stuff” — are a seriously underutilized goldmine for fundraising. Because let’s face it: donors are sitting on a mountain of high-value personal property, most of it collecting dust — or accruing storage fees — and they’d often love nothing more than to make it someone else’s problem in a tax-efficient way. That “someone else” could be you. Sure, a Glenfiddich ’37 might be a stretch. But how about: A 1955 Corvette gathering cobwebs in a suburban garage? A piece of original artwork too large for the donor’s new minimalist condo? The world’s second-largest collection of porcelain frogs (the first-largest, obviously, already lives at the Smithsonian)? A vintage sailboat that hasn’t seen the water since the Clinton administration? All of these — and more — can be transformed from burdensome belongings into major gifts. Just make sure your development office knows how to handle the paperwork, and preferably doesn’t have a fear of amphibians. Ask the Expert: Insights from the Late Brian Sagrestano To make sure we’re not just talking out of our Glencairn glasses, I turned to someone who actually knows what he’s doing: Brian Sagrestano, who specializes in complex gifts and doesn’t bat an eye when the conversation turns to art, autos, or ancient alcohol. Here’s what he had to say: “Any asset can be donated. The question is whether it can be deducted. But I work on gifts of highly appreciated collectibles all the time. Say the donor has an asset, like a bottle of wine, which is highly appreciated. The donor has it appraised and then donates it. The deduction is based on a qualified appraisal unless the charity cannot use the asset for a purpose related to its charitable mission (this is called the ‘related use rule’). But in positive-speak, if the charity can use it for a purpose related to its mission, deduction is based on the appraisal. If the charity cannot, deduction is limited to the donor’s cost basis (what the donor paid for it).” Translation: If your museum receives a vintage typewriter used by Hemingway, you’re golden. If your cat shelter gets a signed Picasso… well, it’s still great — just don’t expect the donor to get full deduction credit unless you’re planning to hang it in the kitty lounge. The “Related Use Rule,” or How to Keep Your Sailboat from Sinking Your Tax Strategy Brian’s explanation hinges on what’s known as the

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Yorksire Terrier in playfool mood
Wills
Viken Mikaelian

Caring for Pets in Your Will: A Comprehensive Guide

Our pets are more than just companions—they’re family, and they deserve love and care even after we’re gone. With thoughtful planning, you can ensure their future is secure by naming a trusted guardian, allocating resources, and including them in your will. It’s an act of love that provides peace of mind, knowing your loyal friends will be safe and cherished, no matter what happens. Don’t leave their future to chance—start planning today to protect the ones who depend on you most.

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