Nothing New Under the Sun

Nothing new under the sun

A client told me recently that we should be publishing more about what’s NEW in planned giving. Seems reasonable, right? Everyone likes new stuff. We all want to know the trends, be on the cutting-edge, sound knowledgeable at professional events.

Storytelling is Old. You Need Storyselling.

Blocks spelling sell and tell as in story selling and telling

Storytelling is your nonprofit’s most powerful marketing tool. But everyone else is using it, too. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need storyselling—a strategic form of storytelling designed to motivate your donors and prospects to action.

Forget What You’ve Heard About Planned Giving

"Forget about it" word balloon

Forget what you’ve heard about planned giving. Just do the math. Baby Boomers, who are among the wealthiest and most charitable Americans, are dying at a rate of about 6,000 per day. And unless your nonprofit has a planned giving program, that means about $6 billion in estate dollars is being lost every day. Unless you’re planning to fail, it’s time to reprioritize that marketing budget. By the way, we also “explain” what’s a billion. It’s an eye-opener.

From Likes to Donations: The Currency of Nonprofit Marketing

You’ve seen it before: a nonprofit posts about a successful event on its Facebook page (or LinkedIn, or Twitter, or Pinterest, or…) and racks up thousands of likes and shares. The team high-fives and takes a bow and … then what happens?

Nurture Major Donors with a Major Donor Society

Asking an influential member of your community for a large gift is often an intimidating task. While effective donor prospecting can eliminate some of the anxieties involved, tools like a major donor society also go a long way to secure a big ask. Major donor societies provide exclusive, insider access to your highest-dollar donors, generating significant revenue by developing intimate relationships with excellent stewardship.

Estate Gifts Do’s and Dont’s

A picture of the word "Bequests" above two thought bubbles containing the words "Do's" and "Don'ts," to illustrate a PlannedGiving.Com blog about securing estate gifts and securing bequests for your planned giving program.

Estate gifts, also known as planned or legacy gifts, are a vital component of many nonprofits’ fundraising strategies. Soliciting bequests or estate gifts can significantly impact an organization’s financial sustainability and long-term success. However, soliciting estate gifts requires a delicate and thoughtful approach to ensure that donors feel respected, valued, and inspired. Here are some essential Dos and Don’ts to guide your nonprofit’s fundraising and planned giving efforts.

10 Important Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Will

Gathered family and children with dog in the middle all sitting on a sofa

Over 60 percent of all Americans are missing a critical legal document: Their last will and testament. While there are a lot of important reasons to create a will and keep it updated, here are the Top 10.