Give and Take

First, a Thank You For those of you who are reading this and are clients of mine, I truly thank you for your business. When I started in 1998, I did it with the goal to make planned giving accessible to your average prospect. At the time, planned giving was so bogged down with legalese and mind-numbing details that fundraisers were intimidated and donors befuddled. We’ve come a long way since then, but there’s still a shocking number of fundraisers taking calculator courses and fretting about tax codes while ignoring the relationship part of their job. Not you. You’re among the top 5% who get it and take the lead. As our client, you know that planned giving is a people business and simple is best. In 2000 when I introduced the planned giving postcard, a competitor who was (and still is) in the business of printing lengthy planned giving newsletters,

Question My nonprofit organization currently uses all bequest proceeds for operating expenses. The family of a recently deceased donor has questioned this and wants us to designate the funds for endowment (what is an endowment). What should we do? Answer It’s important to remember that only funds explicitly restricted by the donor can serve as a true endowment (importance by Deb Ashton). If a donor’s will does not specify a restriction, these funds are technically unrestricted and can be used at the nonprofit’s discretion. However, that doesn’t mean organizations should spend them without careful consideration. One approach is to treat them as “quasi-endowment” or “board-designated endowment,” meaning the board voluntarily decides to invest the funds rather than spend them outright. This way, the principal remains intact, and the nonprofit can utilize annual drawdowns based on a responsible spending policy. The larger question your nonprofit must address is: What is your

I wonder if anyone’s ever done a study to see when gyms are more crowded—in January (post new year’s resolution season) or in the spring (pre swimsuit season). I’d put my money on January.

Our clients are some of the most successful, creative people in the planned giving community. We asked them what they’re grateful for, and here’s what they said. (Feel free to steal their ideas at your family feast on Thanksgiving.)

By Two Cent Steve, Planned Giving Director at one of PlannedGiving.com’s university clients Two hundred and fifty three brave souls signed on for a recent webinar with Viken Mikaelian and Tom Ahern. That’s two out-of-the-box thinkers with a habit of saying it like it is … bound to get interesting.

Why Jews Give

Two Hebrew phrases help explain why Jewish giving is so high. Two women pass a beggar on the street. Both women have the exact same income and expenses. The first weeps at the suffering of the beggar and gives him $5 out of the goodness of her heart. The second notices but rushes past. Later in the day, however, she feels compelled because of her religious beliefs and returns to give the beggar $100. Who is the better person? Why are Jews so generous? Many people who are not familiar with the Jewish community are often surprised at the large annual gifts that Jewish Federations and other Jewish non-profit organizations receive year in and year out. Are Jews more generous than other people? Have Jewish organizations cooked up some kind of secret fundraising sauce? I have been privileged to work with the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati for twelve years and

Once upon a time in a market far, far away, I worked at FORTUNE Magazine. In retrospect, selling advertising in FORTUNE had a lot of similarities to fundraising. It was a great magazine with a specific editorial mission that competed for dollars with a lot of other fine magazines and newspapers. During my time there, an editorial colleague posed this fascinating question: “What are the sexiest six words in advertising?” I’ve never forgotten how he answered it and have made it one of my fundraising mantras to live by.

Donors typically support ten charities a year, with most of their giving focused on about four. Now I’ve never had the good fortune to work for somebody’s “favorite” charity. I really couldn’t afford to have that scarcity mentality, where a fundraiser thinks that the entire donor’s giving just has to go to their organization. I was abundancy mentality all the way, baby.

It’s a decades-old dispute over which term, “Planned Giving” or “Gift Planning,” gives you the edge when reaching out to your prospects.

You can play it vanilla, or you can be heard. What will you choose? Edgy planned giving marketing gets results.

The classic cry of the binge marketer is “Oops… business is slow. I guess I’d better do some marketing and send out a mailing.” If you find yourself in the middle of a quiet spell, thinking that a few actions, a couple of phone calls and a mailing here and there will get things moving again, you need to rethink your strategy.

You’d never guess by looking at Thomas Chandler Cruikshank Bond, III, that he battled drug addiction for two decades, that he was jailed half a dozen times, or that he spent four years living in abandoned houses in East Baltimore. In fact, even if you had met him during most of those dark years, you never would have guessed what was really going on under his façade. He had a good job with an expense account, wore a suit and tie and drove a nice car. But, he says, “inside I was a wreck, miserable.” By 2002, Tom had been homeless or jailed for the past four years. He was injecting heroine and cocaine and had wasted away to 150 pounds. “I really thought I’d end up dying in the projects of Baltimore,” he says. Then, during yet another stint in jail, Tom heard (for the third time) about the

  So it’s settled. Direct mail is a good idea. My husband and I run a small business. A very small business. So I was a little surprised to find out that we’re on Google’s mailing list. I’d understand if they sent me an email, or maybe a personalized video pop-up on YouTube. But no … the King of the Internet sent me a good old-fashioned letter, in a paper envelope, with a stamp, delivered by the postman. Yes, direct mail.

  With the presidential election behind us and the status quo retained, what does this mean for charitable giving as we approach year-end? Over the last three months, this was the number one question on people’s minds – “What happens if after the election, we have the same parties in control of the House, Senate and Presidency? After all, there were lots of tax reform proposals out there during the campaign and we are about to go over the ‘Fiscal Cliff.’” While we don’t have a crystal ball, we are certain about three things which should shape how you approach year-end 2012 and the start of 2013.

Are You Sure You’re Ready to Excel? If you continue to do things in the same manner you have always done them, your results are not going to change. Continuing to do things the same old way basically puts you on a treadmill where continuous, ineffective effort and lackluster results flow in a endless loop. It is time to re-examine your belief system. This article offers some ideas guaranteed to get you off that treadmill, to put money in your organization’s pocket, and help you become the consummate professional you want to be. As 2011 came to an end, you promised yourself that 2012 would be better. It would be a year of accomplishment; a year of achievement both for you and your organization. However, as you now review 2012 to date, are you finding your results mirror those of 2011? Let’s start with some brutal facts:

But did you hear about the doggy hotel your nonprofit is competing with? $175 per night. Your pooch can enjoy a poolside room with a view ($50 extra), an evening backrub ($25 extra), and even a bedtime story ($20 extra).

That’s right. Being a charity doesn’t magically change business, economic, or marketing realities. So think like a business. Not like a nonprofit. Because the biggest problem among nonprofits is the “non.” There are quite a few people in the nonprofit world who do not want to hear this. In fact, our least popular webinar has consistently been the one that Jeff Comfort and I presented titled, “The IRS Considers You a Business. Act Like One.” We focused very much on finances, P&L (profit and loss) statements, setting goals, and accountability. Apparently, no one wants to think like a business. I cannot emphasize this enough: If you truly want your nonprofit to succeed, you need to think like a for-profit. Focus on these first: Advertising Marketing Sales Personal Relationships Too many nonprofits drive their prospects away before they’ve even had a chance to get started. Here’s what I recently saw on

Fundraisers can make “civilians” a little nervous when they’re around. What comments do you get when you tell folks what you do? “Ugh, I could never ask strangers for money!” “Well, I hope you didn’t bring your begging bowl with you tonight – this is a friendly party.”

Real estate gifts are an underutilized opportunity in fundraising, with nonprofits missing out on substantial donations due to myths and misconceptions. Experts Chase Magnuson and Dennis Haber debunk common misunderstandings, revealing that charities can sell donated properties immediately, accept gifts with debt, and structure transactions creatively. With Baby Boomers holding over $48 trillion in wealth, much of it in real estate, now is the time to embrace these gifts. Fundraisers must educate themselves, build networks, and market real estate donations effectively to maximize impact.

We were recently asked: Is there any “benchmark,” or industry standard regarding the mechanics of “handing off” a loyal direct mail donor to the Planned Giving Department? Without airing too much “dirty laundry,” our in-house Direct Marketing Department refuses to give the Planned Giving Department access to the donor database out of fear that planned giving marketing activities with loyal donors will depress annual giving income from those donors. So basically the Planned Giving Department is being denied access to the best prospects, because of fear that planned giving will undermine annual giving. How do other organizations handle this?

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