A donor makes a verbal promise to include a planned gift for your organization in their will, but they never send you a signed intention form. Then the donor dies. How do you ask the family if the gift was included in the donor’s estate plan? This type of situation happens frequently.
Giving Excels at the Speed of Trust
Sometimes a board member or nonprofit will ask us, “Why planned giving? People are giving us annual gifts and we don’t want to impact that source of revenue.” Unfortunately, this is the logic that keeps among the 99% of nonprofits that do not pursue planned gifts. Here’s how to join the top 1%.
Why Planned Giving?
Making a difference can seem daunting. The good news is you are not alone in being the change. There are more than 1.8 million nonprofits registered in the US working toward your same dreams. Your estate planning and other heavily taxed assets can be your greatest tools (and your greatest savings) in partnering with nonprofits to make the change you want to see.
Planned Giving is for You — Yes, You.
Donors Flock to Reliability, Predictability, and Trust
It’s tempting to think about marketing as a collection of traditional outreach. Sure, part of it is which we have been offering for years. Display ads, postcards, surveys, tag lines, digital media, videos — the list goes on. But marketing is more than that. Marketing also includes things you might not immediately think of.
A Really Tough Planned Giving Conversation
What would you do if you had a verbal commitment for a planned gift—and the donor died before putting it into writing? It happens more often than you’d think. Here’s a real-world example of how stewardship can save the day.
Educating Donors on Making Planned Gifts That Work For Good – and For Their Heirs
Navigating the complexities of estate planning and charitable giving can be daunting, but with the right tools and guidance, you can help donors make a meaningful impact and ensure that their legacy endures for generations to come.
Is AI Dumbing Us Down?
AI is smart enough to discover names of people in your organization. Legitimate-looking emails come in with the line, “see attachment” — which, when opened, launches malware. Others request sensitive business information or for you to fill out an RFP behind a password. I wrote back to one such bot, and it responded so convincingly I almost fell for it. Be very careful — two friends lost between $4k and $7K at work through such an attack. Only one was reimbursed.
Why Your Nonprofit Should Steer Clear of AI
AI might look enticing, but when you strip away all the hype it’s a ticking time bomb. AI-created content has created some serious problems for its early adopters. Do you really want to lose donations over an easier way to write a caption?
The Power of Endowments
An endowment sends a motivating message to the world, as well as to your board, staff and donors. It says your organization is going to be here for the long run. It creates respect, trust, authority.
Nonprofits Did Not Do Well Last Year
2023 was another tough year in the nonprofit industry. Although all the numbers aren’t in yet, it’s on track to be on par with 2022 — perhaps worse. And what’s even more concerning is that this seems to be part of a larger downward trend.