Category: Planned Giving Marketing

Sales and marketing are different things. Sales, or stewardship, is direct contact, and the point is to make a sale. Marketing is more about building awareness of your brand, your mission and your vision. Though it creates bonds in less personal ways than sales, marketing enables you to cast a wider net and create a sales funnel that directs revenue your way.

The Digital Marketing Myth Are you relying exclusively on digital tools to run your planned giving program? Think again. Many fundraisers and now advisors depend entirely on outsourced electronic solutions—tax reference libraries, gift law articles, automated emails, and complex calculators—while abandoning proven traditional methods. This shortsighted approach undermines fundraising effectiveness. As someone deeply involved in digital marketing myself, I offer this perspective with firsthand knowledge of both its power and limitations. Learning From Digital Giants Consider Google—the undisputed leader in online advertising. If any organization could succeed using exclusively digital marketing, it would be Google. Yet Google consistently employs sophisticated direct mail campaigns to acquire new customers. Meanwhile, fundraisers expect to attract planned giving prospects with online reference libraries about gift laws? Planned giving isn’t Entertainment Weekly—donors aren’t eagerly awaiting the next update. The Youth Misconception “But my prospects are young and digitally savvy,” you might argue. They’re constantly on social media, messaging, and email. They are always using the Internet.”  Exactly—and that’s precisely why your message gets lost in their crowded digital landscape. A revealing case study from Target Magazine highlights this reality. One nonprofit marketer designed a campaign for younger, web-savvy audiences, assuming they wouldn’t respond to print materials. This proved to be a costly misconception. Studies by ICOM and Experian demonstrated that young adults actually respond better to print. The nonprofit in question, World Vision Micro, quickly added print elements to their campaign to salvage their results. Evidence-Based Fundraising Target editor Thorin McGee summarized it perfectly: “World Vision Micro discovered, as many have during the digital era, that embracing the newest trend rarely matters as much as analyzing the evidence and making decisions based on what it reveals—whether that means implementing social media innovations or returning to traditional telephone outreach.” What concerns me most is fundraisers operating without factual foundations due to misguided advice. Too many make decisions based on “monkey see, monkey do” mentality, following industry fads, peer pressure, and marketing hype rather than concrete data. I deeply respect those organizations—many of them my clients of various sizes—who recognize facts and maintain their effective, common-sense marketing approaches that consistently deliver results. The Integrated Approach The most successful fundraising programs don’t choose between digital and traditional—they leverage both strategically. Digital tools provide efficiency, analytics, and reach, while traditional methods offer tangibility, personal connection, and cut through the noise. Analyze your donor demographics, test different approaches, and measure results. Let evidence, not trends, guide your fundraising strategy. Operate like a business because you are a business. Remember: It’s not about being the most technologically advanced fundraising operation—it’s about creating meaningful connections that inspire giving.

I was invited to speak at a national charity conference with over 800 attendees. Some of them were Directors of Operations and even Chief Executive Officers. So where the heck were all the leadership types hiding? The conference had something for everyone—operations, finance, strategy, and even high-level fundraising philosophy. It was a huge success. Except for my session on planned giving marketing. Read on. The room was filled with enthusiastic young fundraisers, which was great to see. Planned giving represents the robust future of fundraising, yet many smaller programs are still weak in this area. Some are even scared to touch it—let alone read about it. So, I kicked things off with some myth-busting: “Many consultants, vendors, and fundraisers make their living by overcomplicating planned giving,” I declared. “I’m here to simplify it. It’s not rocket science. And if anyone tells you it is, run the other way.” (Besides, rocket science itself isn’t doing so well these days—in the U.S. or Russia.) As I went through my presentation, I did what I always do: I asked attendees about their roles within their organizations. And that’s when I realized something disturbing. Not a single CEO was in the room. Let that sink in. This wasn’t an accident. This wasn’t a scheduling issue. This was a pattern—one I’ve seen before, and one that should concern every nonprofit professional. The Leadership Void: Why CEOs Ignore Planned Giving Many nonprofit CEOs are trapped in a cycle of short-term fundraising tactics—events, annual campaigns, grant applications—because they provide immediate gratification. They can report quick wins to their boards and donors. But those short-term dollars don’t create long-term financial stability.  Planned giving, on the other hand, requires long-term vision. It isn’t flashy. It doesn’t bring in instant cash. But it builds the kind of financial foundation that allows nonprofits to weather economic downturns, shifts in donor behavior, and, most importantly, changes in government policy. But CEOs ignore planned giving in favor of instant gratification. The Financial Reality Nonprofits Are Ignoring Consider this: 95% of this country’s wealth is in assets (real estate, stocks, retirement funds), while only 5% is in cash. Yet most nonprofits spend nearly all their fundraising efforts chasing that 5%. Bequests are the largest source of individual giving in the U.S. Yet, most nonprofits don’t prioritize them in their fundraising strategies. Only 6% of Americans include a charitable gift in their wills, not because they don’t want to, but because no one asks them. These numbers aren’t just statistics; they’re a wake-up call. If nonprofits don’t shift their focus to planned giving, they will fall behind—and fast. Government & Foundation Shifts: The Clock is Ticking And now, there’s an even bigger reason why leadership can’t afford to ignore planned giving. With shifts in government policies and funding priorities, relying on traditional grants and short-term donations is riskier than ever. Foundations are growing tired of nonprofits that fail to plan for sustainability. Many foundations and government agencies are reducing general operating support, prioritizing organizations that have diversified revenue streams and long-term financial plans. Translation? If your nonprofit is relying on the same old fundraising methods, you’re already falling behind. If you don’t believe me, read this: Stop Begging. Start Planning. Why Foundations Are Done Funding Lazy Nonprofits. The Consequences of Inaction Ignoring planned giving isn’t just a missed opportunity—it’s an existential threat. Nonprofits that fail to adapt will struggle to survive. Organizations that prioritize planned giving will build an endowment and financial reserves that give them stability. Fundraisers will burn out chasing short-term money. If leadership doesn’t embrace a smarter fundraising strategy, their teams will remain stuck in a cycle of desperate fundraising sprints. Donors will go elsewhere. Donors want to know their impact will last. If your nonprofit isn’t presenting planned giving as an option, they’ll find another organization that will. What Fundraisers Can Do (Even Without CEO Buy-In) If your leadership is ignoring planned giving, you can still take action: Educate Yourself – Learn how planned giving works so you can advocate for it. The more you know, the more you can demonstrate its value. Start Small – You don’t need a massive planned giving program to make an impact. Even simple bequest language on your website can generate gifts. Show the Numbers – Make the business case. Share statistics and success stories with leadership to help them see the financial benefits. Find an Internal Champion – If your CEO isn’t interested, is there a board member, CFO, or senior fundraiser who is? Start there. Talk to Donors – You don’t need permission to start conversations. Many donors don’t know how easy it is to leave a gift in their will. Start planting the seed. The Bottom Line The sad truth? Many nonprofit CEOs focus on short-term wins, easy-to-understand fundraising tactics, and the illusion of progress. But when it comes to actual financial sustainability, they’re missing the boat.  Planned giving isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity. And until nonprofit leadership wakes up, the sector will continue to face a crisis of its own making. Those CEOs ignore planned giving at their nonprofits’ peril.  So, will your nonprofit adapt—or become extinct? Do not be the next Titanic. Any questions?

Our clients, friends and prospects often ask which term is better to use for their marketing efforts, “Planned Giving” or “Gift Planning”. This is a decades-old dispute and I am getting tired of it. So I decided to write this blog to end the argument. If anyone is ready to spar, sharpen your blade (well, pencil is okay). A few nonprofits have migrated to Gift Planning because it sounds more “sophisticated.” Others argue that Planned Giving has been around too long and it’s time for something “new.” And some “feel” it makes better sense and sounds better. This is all just self-serving theory. [By the way, we own both domains: giftplanning.org and plannedgiving.org; so we do not have a reason to be financially biased in this article.]