Category: Planned Giving Marketing

Simple Planned Gifts to Market This Year
Giving
Viken Mikaelian

Simple Planned Gifts to Market This Year

Did you know that more than 90% of planned gifts are beneficiary designations? And by simply promoting beneficiary designations to your prospects, your organization will see its endowment grow by leaps and bounds. [Here’s a handy Beneficiary Designations Gift Planning Toolkit you can use.] Why? What makes this particular planned gift so attractive? It’s the simplicity. Giving a beneficiary designation is literally as easy as filling out a form. The form names the individuals and charities you want to support, and specifies the percentage of the assets you want each beneficiary to receive.  They are very simple to give, easy to arrange, and usually do not require an attorney. So what’s the easiest way to market them? By mailing at least 4 postcards on beneficiary designations to your donors and prospects this year. Do not try to get creative with award-winning designs. Just concentrate on getting the word out. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Beneficiary designations can take multiple shapes, including: Cash Appreciated Securities/Investments Fund Accounts United States Savings Bonds Bank Accounts Jointly Held Accounts Life Insurance IRAs/Retirement Accounts CDs Any person who cares about your mission — rich or poor, educated or not — can easily make these kinds of gifts. And it won’t have any impact on their day-to-day cash flow! That’s why we like to call them “gifts anyone can make” or “gifts for the rest of us.” Again… By simply marketing Beneficiary Designations, you will see both your organization’s endowment and your career grow. With no fuss, no muss, and without any hassle! It’s the most ridiculously easy and blazingly fast way for you to get the word out to prospects about the easiest, most popular planned gifts. And they’re the easiest gifts for your organization to accept. By the way, before haphazardly developing any planned giving marketing tools, you should begin with a 12-Month Marketing Plan. This will be your road map to success. You should also learn how your basic planned gifts work (no matter what anyone says, you do not need to be a lawyer or an accountant). Read about gift planning vehicles. Categories: Giving, Planned Giving Marketing, Marketing Planned Giving

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Advisors and Philanthropy
Planned Giving for Financial Advisors
Viken Mikaelian

Advisors and Philanthropy

The face of philanthropy is changing: Researchers found that many donors want to talk with an advisor before they’ll even approach a nonprofit to discuss their intentions.

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Don’t Look at the Wall
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Don’t Look at the Wall

Two great quotes from Mario Andretti: “If everything seems under control you are not going fast enough.” and “Don’t look at the wall.”

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I Want to Meet a Rich Guy
Bequests
Karen Martin

I Want to Meet a Rich Guy

What does wanting to meet (and marry) a rich guy have to do with planned giving? More than you think, and it all boils down to the meaning of the word “rich.” This puts “I want to meet a rich donor” in a whole new light.

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Where’s Your Elevator Pitch?
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Where’s Your Elevator Pitch?

You get in the elevator to head up to the 12th floor. A prospect you’ve always wanted to talk to enters at 3. He recognizes you and says, “I’ve seen you before. What do you do for the institution?”

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Let Testimonials Say What You Can’t
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Let Testimonials Say What You Can’t

Testimonials by satisfied donors, or by recipients of your organization’s services, automatically carry more credibility than anything you could say about yourself. They are an important part of your planned giving marketing message because they tell a potential donor what you can’t.

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Insights From 30+ Years in Planned Giving …
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Insights From 30+ Years in Planned Giving …

With 30+ years of planned giving successes in my history, I’m now considered a thought leader in the industry. That’s because I learned one crucial lesson: Planned giving is about people. Focus on the people and the rest is easy.

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Tell Your Heart Surgeon to Go Away
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

Tell Your Heart Surgeon to Go Away

If your administration does not realize the importance of planned giving, your job is to explain it to them. The money is there — and it shows up when people understand the need. Would you ever tell your heart surgeon that his fee is not in your budget?

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On Productivity, Planned Giving and Your Career
Planned Giving Marketing
Viken Mikaelian

On Productivity, Planned Giving and Your Career

Do you set daily goals? Do you think multitasking is helpful? Do you know the difference between motion and action? These 8 hacks will get your productivity — and your career — energized.

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