Give and Take

Nonprofits did not do well last year, and you wonder why. I recently came across a job listing that read something like this: “[A nonprofit] is seeking a planned giving advisor. This is a junior position for a fundraiser with 3 or so years of experience who wishes to move into planned giving. Focus is on bequests, CGAs, and marketing.” Now, for those of us who have been in the trenches of planned giving for a while, that one little word—junior—jumps off the screen. Not because there’s anything inherently wrong with junior hires (everyone starts somewhere), but because of what that label suggests in the context of planned giving fundraising. In fact, a response I saw to this posting was quite blunt: “Hiring a junior person for a planned giving program is a guarantee of underperforming … a recipe for failure.” Why? Not due to some prejudice against younger or entry-level

You’ve seen it before: a nonprofit posts about a successful event on its Facebook page (or LinkedIn, or Twitter, or Pinterest, or…) and racks up thousands of likes and shares. The team high-fives and takes a bow and … then what happens?

Asking an influential member of your community for a large gift is often an intimidating task. While effective donor prospecting can eliminate some of the anxieties involved, tools like a major donor society also go a long way to secure a big ask. Major donor societies provide exclusive, insider access to your highest-dollar donors, generating significant revenue by developing intimate relationships with excellent stewardship.

Estate gifts, also known as planned or legacy gifts, are a vital component of many nonprofits’ fundraising strategies. Soliciting bequests or estate gifts can significantly impact an organization’s financial sustainability and long-term success. However, soliciting estate gifts requires a delicate and thoughtful approach to ensure that donors feel respected, valued, and inspired. Here are some essential Dos and Don’ts to guide your nonprofit’s fundraising and planned giving efforts.

Let's face it: Estate planning isn't exactly a dinner table conversation starter. But trust me, it's one of those adulting tasks that's way more important than we often give it credit for. So, what's all the fuss about?

It may seem silly, but it’s true — and it’s a step many donors forget. A 2019 Special Report from Giving USA found that just 4 percent of donors always report their planned gifts to organizations, and 38.7 percent sometimes inform the organizations.

A new report from Giving USA shows that despite charitable giving reaching a new high for 2023, inflation took a hefty toll. It proves what we've been saying all along: Planned giving works, and it's a lifeboat in the stormy waters of inflation.

Over 60 percent of all Americans are missing a critical legal document: Their last will and testament. While there are a lot of important reasons to create a will and keep it updated, here are the Top 10.

A lot of donors are leaving undistributed assets in their DAFs — defeating the intent of a donor-advised fund. What's the solution before a government crackdown? Here are some answers.

First-hand accounts back it up. The data proves it. And numbers don’t lie. But despite hearing over and over again that donor stories sell, they still remain one of the most under-utilized tools in planned giving.

As marketing guru Seth Godin says, repetition builds trust, and consistency stands out. Have you ever been annoyed at a company just because it made a change to its marketing or advertising campaigns? Maybe it was a business that switched its slogan for no reason; or maybe it was a firm that did a complete about-face and changed its name to something ridiculous or created a brand-new ad campaign, when the old one was working quite well.

The convenience of sending all those digital communiques zipping through cyberspace with a mere keystroke has caused us to forget some basic rules and best practices about emails — and good communication in general. Here are a few tips that will help your next email not only get read, but make a good impression and maybe even inspire your reader to take action.

If you’ve ever wondered just how important good estate planning is, take a look at this terrifying tale of high-net-worth horror about a family that lost $45 million—nearly half their estate’s value—to federal taxes. The worst part? The massive tax loss could have easily been prevented with some foresight, planning, and expert advice.