

Who Made the First Planned Gift?
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?
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?
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.
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 of view. Although we never came back to discussing the articles, it begs the question: Should personal opinion stand in the way of a major gift to an institution? What would happen if a donor gifted a piece of art and the advancement officer didn’t like the piece? Or what about a major gift from a business made successful by overseas factories when the gift officer is strongly opposed to outsourcing? A revenue stream from mineral royalties can be a significant contribution to a non-profit’s endowment or operating budget. Royalties can also come from songwriters, playwrights, motion pictures, software, trademarks, patents, and franchises. An advancement officer may have a personal objection or may dislike the particular intellectual property the donor has to offer. However, mineral interests may be the one gift that your donor can give. Nonprofits Need to Have a Gift Acceptance Policy. When your donors are organizing their estate plans, they often have more than one charitable organization they care about, and if you won’t take their non-cash gifts like mineral rights (or their artwork, or real estate, or appreciated securities, or personal property), someone else will. Advancement officers’ personal beliefs should not get in the way of accepting a gift. But that doesn’t mean those beliefs should be disregarded entirely. There is often more than one way to accept a gift. For example, a recent client requested an evaluation of a gift of mineral interests. The organization accepted the gift and shortly afterwards sold the rights to another group. This solution was a win-win. The donor was able to gift the mineral interests, and the non-profit was able to monetize the gift. Donors and gift officers, like all people, have a variety of economic, religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds. Our motives and philosophies are rarely cut and dry. If a donor wants to support the mission of the organization, and if the gift is meets the gift acceptance policy, the gift officer has an obligation to the organization to accept the gift. Betsy Suppes is a qualified appraiser and petroleum geologist. bsuppes@forgedalegeo.com Categories: Gifts of Real Estate, Planned Giving Marketing
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 giving calculator, where does that leave your prospect?” Bored, confused, and looking for some other organization that knows how to inspire them to give. To borrow from Einstein, Effort = #PlannedGifts, doubled. Putting effort into marketing your planned gifts can result in an exponential increase in the amount of funding your organization will receive. And a good place to begin is with a plan. It doesn’t take a genius to see the logic in that. Effective planned giving marketing is not rocket science. An easy way to get started is simply by using your already-existing resources — website, any print materials, e-blasts — to mention your planned giving program (be sure to include the relevant contact information). You can also include a link under your email signature, and even mention it in your voicemail message. When you’re ready to take it to the next level, consider billboards, magazine ads, even radio and TV ads (check with your local stations for rates). Send out postcards and other direct mail pieces. I have touched on this topic several times and I am not going to let up until our community gets it. Planned giving marketing is the key to success — and it’s too easy and important to ignore. Categories: Planned Giving Marketing, Marketing Planned Giving
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.
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.)
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 …
The classic cry of the binge fundraiser is “Oops… gifts are slow to come in. I guess I’d better 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.
That canned “planned giving newsletter” you’re paying for is viewed by your recipients as a “death brochure” and is going right into the trash. Spend your money wisely. (By Tom Ahern)
I saw a blog post penned by another planned giving vendor. Its sole purpose: To trash the idea that fundraisers need a planned giving website. Very interesting …
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