Cole Eason, JD, is Vice President of Advancement at the Truman Heartland Community Foundation, where he works with donors and advisors to encourage philanthropic partnerships. We recently sat down and chatted with Cole about the ways in which financial, legal and tax advisors can help clients create tax-efficient charitable gift plans that achieve their client’s philanthropic goals while still allowing advisors to manage that client’s portfolio.
Even the most socially adept among us need a little help to get the conversation started. That’s why we’ve developed these 15 donor conversation starters along with the "why" behind each one. Use them the next time you meet with a donor or prospect. They’ll help break the ice, establish trust, and get you started on the path to building a meaningful, mutually beneficial relationship.
As more uncertainty rattles the markets and the economic downturn deepens, donations will dry up. Even your most consistent donors will reevaluate their charitable giving as the threat of a recession looms. And the Wall Street roller-coaster will affect stocks as well as cash.
Why do only rich people have wills? Because they have the luxury to afford it. NOT. I think you’ll be surprised at the number of rich and famous people who died without a will —or didn’t have an updated will—when they left this earth. Each eventually left behind a fortune, but millions (and millions!) of dollars was wasted on lawyers, avoidable taxes, and lawsuits.
Many churches focus only on the collection plate... meaning they are leaving millions of dollars on the table. Major donor efforts (and church planned giving programs) are essential to the financial health of your congregation. Read this article to learn why planned giving is essential for your church.
One of the most frequently asked questions in planned giving is whether or not a planned gift donor needs a lawyer to write their will. In this article, we answer the question, and give some important fundraising tips for your non-profit.
Achieving trust doesn't happen overnight. Yet it is the most important element of fundraising for your nonprofit organization. Building trust takes time, persistence, consistency, and dedication. It also takes audience awareness of your “brand.” And creating that awareness means consistent marketing — an investment far too many nonprofits are afraid to make.
On average, 88% of a nonprofit’s revenue comes from the top 12% of its donors. This shows how crucial major gifts are to an organization’s overall fundraising strategy. Additionally, major donors not only provide nonprofits with sustained financial security but are often co-creators of many programs and initiatives. Learn how to track major gift metrics to succeed with your major donor program.
Studies consistently show that businesses using video marketing have phenomenally increased their lead generation. Your nonprofit can enjoy the same success by using video to market your planned and major gifts programs. Here's why a nonprofit video marketing program is so important for your fundraising efforts.
Many fundraisers and advisors hold a deeply rooted belief that donors should always use an attorney to draft their wills. Yet many wealthy (and not-so-wealthy) individuals have had success with using an online will planner to handle their estates. This article looks at whether online will planners can be used for creating wills and bequests that support your non-profit.
Donor stories are among the most effective ways to reach and engage with your audience. That's why it’s important to have a system in place to pursue, record and share donor stories. Use the tips in this article to help you effectively utilize donor stories for fundraising at your non-profit.
Personally, I don’t want another paperweight, it just makes my trashcan heavier. But if someone brought me the best baklava money can buy, that would go in my belly quickly — and be greatly appreciated. So what are some of the best gifts your nonprofit can send to legacy society members and other key donors? Here are some ideas.
Your donor gave you an in-kind gift that you thought had nominal value, but when it was appraised, it was worth a lot more? This kind of pleasant surprise is not uncommon for charities that accept in-kind gifts of oil and gas interests. Non-profit endowments benefit when they accept more than just cash gifts.
How do you thank your alumni donors? We give them gifts. Every year. These can range from the mundane (a printed calendar) to the ridiculous (a bobble-head doll), to the more expensive-and-mundane (an engraved glass mug or paperweight.) Here's how to end the agita and understand how to best steward and recognize your alumni givers.
Fundraising analytics are important for the health of your non-profit's development program. Without basic wealth and demographic information, you won't be able to effectively fundraise from those in your non-profit's CRM. If your database doesn't provide basic fundraising analytics, you can, with a little work, do it yourself. Here's how to do it effectively.
Whether you're kicking off a fledgling planned giving program or you're comfortably positioned with a legacy society, it doesn't take a data scientist to help you find your best prospects. It DOES, however, start with your donor data. This blog explains why data is essential.
Donors like to do more than just give -- they like to feel like they are investing in the nonprofits they support. Investing means feeling like they are part of the organization and partially responsible for its success. If you want donors to give more to your organization, you need to find ways to help them feel as though they are investing, not simply making a donation.
Did anyone ever tell you, "Quit your whining?" Complaining is practically second nature for most of us, and some people have been known to raise it to an art form. The thing is, no one likes a whiner, right? Well, think again. In this article, you'll learn why letting your donors complain can actually be GOOD for your donor retention efforts!
Collaboration draws upon the unique skillsets of individuals to achieve a common goal among a group. But for specialization to work, teaming up (aka, collaboration) with others who have complementary skills is critical. And I am happy to see that’s becoming the norm in philanthropy. Putting processes in place to increase collaboration at your non-profit will help you build a stronger fundraising team.
We recently interviewed Jordan Cassidy, Co-founder & Head of Business Development of LifeLegacy, about nonprofits using online will planners for their constituency. Here’s what he had to say. Q: Is a will really an effective way to get planned gifts? A: A bequest giving tool like our free online will is great for engaging everyday donors. You can offer this complimentary service to your donors, track engagement and use it as the beginning, not the end, of the conversation with them. Q: How is this different from others? A: Our donor experience is fully customized to our nonprofit partners; most others have inflexible platforms that do not offer this. In addition, we have seamless integrations — nonprofits can get set up with our platform within minutes using a co-branded link. Here’s a demo of the co-branded online will experience for one of our partners, the American Brain Tumor Association. Q: Your
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