People Skills vs. Technical Skills in Planned Giving: Which Actually Matters?
I was at a planned giving seminar where at least five different people asked me some version of the same question: “Should I focus on developing people skills—or technical skills?”
We get emails asking this all the time. And it’s understandable. Planned giving sounds technical. Acronyms, tax law, gift vehicles, calculations—it’s easy to assume that mastery begins there.
It doesn’t.
Here’s What Nobody Tells You
Most planned gifts are simple. The vast majority are bequests. Not split-interest trusts. Not complex calculations. Not tax gymnastics. Just people deciding to leave something behind to an organization they care about.
And people don’t make that decision because you explained the tax implications correctly. They make it because they trust you.
Consider this disconnect: most organizations base 80% of their hiring decisions on technical skills, yet 85% of employee turnover stems from behavioral incompatibility. We’re so focused on technical requirements that we forget we’re dealing with people—and we fail to develop the skills that actually determine success.
Why People Skills Win
As an individual, people skills are the most valuable tools you can add to your professional toolkit. As an organization, they’re the most important traits to look for when hiring fundraisers.
Why? Because people skills let you build real, lasting relationships—and relationships are the foundation of all successful fundraising.
Without a relationship, there is no ask. Without trust, there is no gift. Without connection, there is no planned giving program to speak of.
This is why nurturing a donor relationship matters far more than memorizing definitions or mastering jargon.
But What About CRUTs and CRATs?
Someone always asks: “But Viken, what about CRUTs and CRATs? They’re complicated. Shouldn’t planned giving fundraisers master those first?”
No.
When you need deep technical expertise, bring in outside professionals—attorneys, CPAs, planned giving specialists—to handle the details. That’s what they’re for.
If you happen to have both strong people skills and strong technical skills, you’re ahead of the game. But here’s the reality: if you’re not good with people, you won’t bring in planned gifts at all—no matter how much you know about them.
Start Where It Matters
People give to people, not to institutions.
So before you sign up for the next course on gift annuities, pick up a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s an $8 book that’s probably closed more gifts than any tax code ever written.
