Planned Giving Marketing

Most legacy gift lists are fiction. Donors don’t remember making commitments, staff chase vanity metrics, and organizations waste thousands on digital tools that promise everything but deliver nothing. This case study reveals why relationship-building beats database-building every time. Discover the proven strategies that turn inflated prospect lists into genuine legacy commitments—including donor surveys, year-round education, and stewardship plans that actually work in the real world.

It’s Good Stewardship Tote bags are nice. Coffee mugs? Cute. But what if your nonprofit could offer donors something a little more … eternal? Introducing Gift-A-Grave™ — the only planned giving incentive that says: “If you leave us in your will, we’ll save you a spot in the ground. Because lasting impact deserves a lasting address” Permanence—the sine qua non of meaningful legacy. That’s right. Join our Legacy Society, and we’ll secure your final resting place. Because nothing screams legacy quite

Legacy Giving Isn’t About Forms—It’s About Follow-Through Lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines: “Half a million wills created.” “Ten billion dollars committed.” The dashboards are slick. The numbers are impressive. And yet—most of those figures live in a world of promises, not payments. A donor can add your nonprofit to their will today, and yes, that feels like a victory. But here’s the hard truth: you might see that gift in 2045. Or you might never see it at all. That’s

A few weeks after donating to a youth literacy nonprofit, my friend Elena received a surprising email. It wasn’t the usual automated receipt or slick newsletter, but instead was a short video from a second-grade teacher. In the video, the teacher stood in her colorful classroom, holding up a book. “Hi Anne,” she said with a smile. “Thank you so much for your generous support. Thanks to you, my students were able to take home their very first books this

While capital campaigns often focus on immediate fundraising needs, integrating planned giving creates lasting impact. A well-run campaign provides the perfect platform to identify and cultivate legacy donors. By including planned giving language in campaign materials, training staff on legacy conversations, launching a legacy society, and sharing donor stories, organizations can secure both short-term pledges and long-term estate commitments. This dual approach transforms campaigns into meaningful exercises in stewardship that ensure organizational sustainability for generations.

Walt Disney built windows lower on Main Street so children could see inside as easily as adults—a detail no one noticed but everyone benefited from. This teaches us about donor relations: Are we building our “windows” at standard height or from our donors’ perspective? Simple changes like talking mission over money, having real people answer phones, and creating memorable first impressions can transform donor engagement and loyalty.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Can you name your local community foundation? More importantly: do you know what they really do? Far from being competitors, community foundations are powerful allies for nonprofits. They manage complex gifts, build sustainable endowments, connect you with donor-advised funds, and even handle planned giving for teams without in-house expertise. Think of them as gardeners of local philanthropy – planting, tending, and growing generosity so your mission can thrive for years to come.

Advances in modern medicine can prolong lives of seriously ill individuals, though not always with hope for improvement. While some view extended life as meaningful, others may see artificial prolongation as extending suffering. The Florida Legislature recognizes individuals’ fundamental right to make medical decisions regarding life-prolonging procedures. Through advance directives like living wills, health care surrogate designations, and anatomical gift declarations, adults can plan ahead for health care decisions and ensure their wishes are respected.