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.
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.
I called a longtime friend of mine and asked him out for coffee, and he said, in a very somber tone, “I’m so busy. I am so busy, I have so much going on.” This “busyness” is turning into an epidemic. Even children are now contracting this illness and developing anxiety in school. If you want to love your donors, give them the gift of attention.
When you invest in nonprofit training, you want it to be a valuable experience. Here are ten things to keep in mind as you search for the best resources.
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!
Have you stumbled upon my 404 page? How does it look? Is it funny? Is it serious? Is it blank? Learn more about my - and YOUR - 404 page in this article!
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.
In philanthropy, rather than getting donors to raise cash, it is smarter to raise cash to get long-term donors. Sounds like a tongue-twister, but it’s not.
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?
“I really don’t want to go to that funeral. You think the family will notice if I’m not there? I mean, we’re sending them a thank-you note for her donation, and I already sent a sympathy card …”
Do you feel overwhelmed by all of the regulations affecting the planned giving industry? What compounds the situation is how others respond to new legislation such as the SECURE Act. What do they offer you? Subject matter genius attorneys who are super brilliant with tax laws.
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately experience comes through bad judgment.
Famous ad agency uses pigeons to pitch private jets. It's true. Read on ...
Don't let legislation paralyze your planned giving marketing efforts.
Your donors will be asking about SECURE, so you’d better know the facts and be ready with the answers — all of the answers. You need to position yourself as an expert resource.
What fundraiser has not faced a boss who doesn’t understand how planned gifts work, doesn’t want to learn, and thinks that planned gifts are an “easy out” for donors who should have made an outright gift?
Planned Giving is a way to make an impact and grow a meaningful legacy — both for yourself, and for your favorite nonprofit — in ways that you likely had never imagined.
I'll be blunt: You can get lucky with lust, but you get married and stay married with trust. You’re probably thinking, “What does that have to do with marketing or fundraising?” Well … read on ...
Making Estate Planning Accessible, Simple, Personal, Secure and FREE!
Bequests are up, cash is down. Empower your donors to plan their will and invest their legacy in the cause they support the most.
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