Are you nurturing your donors? One way to do it is by asking them to tell their story. People like to talk about themselves. It’s natural.
Are you nurturing your donors? One way to do it is by asking them to tell their story. People like to talk about themselves. It’s natural.
Some people in our industry have made planned giving so moribund that they can put a cat on speed to sleep. Vendors included.
Are you relying on dumb ways to seek donations? A few years ago, a darkly humorous Australian public service ad to promote railway safety went viral. Called “Dumb Ways to Die,” the campaign was set to a catchy song with lyrics including, Set fire to your hair. Poke a stick at a grizzly bear. Eat medicine that’s out of date. Use your private parts as Piranha bait. I have to admit, it was catchy enough (definitely not vanilla marketing!) to get my toes tapping — and it made me think, “there’s some pretty dumb ways to ask for donations, too.” And so, without further ado, I present, Dumb Ways to Seek Donations: 1) Approaching a prospect for an ask without research. Your chances of turning a prospect into a donor increase exponentially when you have a little background info. What causes are they passionate about? Do they have kids? Did
Too busy? Or are you placing Planned Giving on the back burner, again? So many fundraisers make excuses, claiming they’ve placed planned giving on the back-burner because of tight budgets, smaller staffs and not enough time. Bull. There’s an underlying reason that none of us wants to acknowledge: Four years ago we asked fundraisers whether they believed planned giving is “where the money’s at.” A whopping 74% in the survey answered “yes.” But on the very next question, “Where do you spend your time?” a large number (82%) answered “raising cash gifts.” So if they know the correct answer, then why do they consistently place planned giving on the back burner? Because most fundraisers attend to the urgent, not to the important. An analogy can be made here between getting a toothache and visiting the dentist. If we never attend to the important (regularly visiting the dentist) one day we’ll
Most “experts” place the practice as having been birthed in the 1970s — or maybe as far back as the ’40s. So it’s safe to say the first planned gift must have been made sometime in those decades. Right?
"It's never government, the economy, or tax laws that are our enemy. It's ourselves."— A CEO of a healthcare foundation, remaining anonymous.
Annual giving tends to focus on immediate needs. Planned giving is more focused on long-term growth. Although we need both, focusing on long-term growth creates stability.
There is a perception that many fundraisers are job-hoppers, never staying in one role or with one organization for long.
What’s the most popular food served at conferences? You guessed it. Chicken. What’s the most popular flavor of ice cream? If you said “vanilla,” kudos again. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with chicken or vanilla. Although I do like both, I’m more of a seafood and habanero lover (yes, there’s even a habanero ice cream — it’s pretty good actually). But here’s the thing: Both of those options sum up what’s wrong with the nonprofit world. We’re plain. Boring. In the vanilla zone. And non-confrontational when need be. Our organizations all seem to blend together — only we can see what differentiates ourselves from our peers. Vanilla zone marketing abounds, because they’re afraid to be edgy. And that means to our audience, we all look homogeneous. Bland. Blah. Banal. Dull as dishwater. How do you ever expect to raise any real money that way? Until we make it very clear
Random acts of kindness? Pfui. How about consistent acts of kindness. Same goes for marketing... and that's why many nonprofits fail because a little bit of this and a little bit of that ...
I recently saw a post on LinkedIn mentioning that “it’s all about the relationship, not the ask.” If you want to be in the top 5% in your career, read on ...
Personal preferences can’t interfere with gift acceptance. A while back I wrote an article called “A Gold Strike” about how nonprofits should include “the ask” for gifts of mineral rights on their websites. Shortly afterwards, I received an email from an advancement officer who thought that no “self-respecting non-profit organization should consider a gift of mineral rights, particularly ones involving hydrocarbons.” Her objections stemmed from personal opposition to hydraulic fracturing. But since she represented an academic institution, I welcomed an exchange of information, since that is the goal of education. Over the next couple of days, the advancement officer and I exchanged several emails about different types of non-cash gifts. I asked if she would accept Chevron stock. Her answer: “Of course. We accept appreciated stock.” I reminded her that it is a “back-door” yes to mineral rights. In subsequent conversations, we agreed to read articles from each other’s point
You do not need a Ph.D. All you need is Street Smarts. Look at what John Ready did at Valley Gives Back.
It’s true. Planned gifts really can get complicated. That’s why we have professionals like Meredith Sossman, JD; Camilyn Leone, Esq.; and Scott Janney on our team. And it’s a very good team. But when it comes to effective planned giving marketing, all you really need is street smarts and commitment. Even Camilyn and Meredith above, both lawyers, publicly admit it. However, admitting it is one thing. Putting it into practice at your nonprofit organization is another. Camilyn and Meredith get it, but most fundraisers out there don’t — and they don’t put nearly enough commitment into marketing their planned giving programs. Instead, they focus on learning all the technical details of planned gifts. Seriously — look at all of the fundraisers taking seminars on CRUTs, CRATs and CRAPs. They even take seminars on calculators. As my old saying goes, “If you need to take a course on understanding a planned
Do you know how to tap into a donor’s motivation to give? Have you nailed “the Passion Question?”
You have a planned giving program — that’s great! And you get those occasional gifts, and that's great too. But you're wondering if your donors know that you exist.
I just love Tom Ahern's sarcastic line: “Oh, goody! Look what’s come in the mail, honey. It’s the latest issue of our death brochure. Round up the kids!”
You can’t believe how hard it is for people to be simple, how much they fear being simple. They worry that if they’re simple, people will think they’re simpleminded. In reality, of course, it’s just the reverse. (~ Jack Welch, CEO General Electric.)
Legacy society member brings girlfriend to all organization events. She also attends events without him. She puts off other members by over-imbibing and being more outspoken than Whoopie Goldberg.
What’s the big deal about planned giving anyway? When it comes to things we don’t understand, or may be intimidated by, there’s always a reason to avoid taking a closer …
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.
2103 Bayshore Boulevard
Unit 1501
Tampa, FL 33606
Products & Services
Subscriptions
Special Links
Copyright 2025 © PlannedGiving.Com
Please reach out. Note: if you give us your mailing address (or PO Box), we’ll send you a complimentary Planned Giving Gift Comparison Chart.