Will your organization's work still be needed 10 years from now?

Do you want your annual and major giving to increase this year and in future years?

If you answered yes to the above questions, then you need to start or increase your planned giving efforts now.

The previous content may seem to contain a non sequitur. But the reality is that a well-executed planned giving program invigorates and increases giving in all of your other fundraising programs with individuals. It’s not just about the giving that will occur 10 or more years from now, large though the gifts may be (bequests are usually 10x the size of the donor’s annual gifts, if not larger).

It’s about having a set of donor-centered, whole-life oriented fundraising strategies.

How it can work, naturally.

What if I told you that I could bring you 100 brand new major donor prospects who will each ultimately give your organization $100,000, and over the next few years will increase their annual gifts and be among your campaign donors when you have a special campaign?

You would say, “Great, Dianna! When are you going to deliver the list of these terrific people so we can start getting to know them?”

Drum roll…They are hidden in your donor list, not giving enough to get your attention as major donor prospects, but having the potential to be one of those “brand new” prospects I mentioned above. You just need to thank them, get to know them, and start talking with them about planned giving. I apologize for making this sound easy or simple – it’s not. But doing these things is the key to great results.
An effective planned giving effort is donor-centric and consistently engaging for donors. Funny - that's exactly how you want your annual fund, your online fundraising, and your major gifts program to work!

The difference is that planned giving is effective for donors across every one of those other programs, and has a longer time horizon, giving you a whole-life perspective on fundraising and additional metrics around fundraising you never counted before.

What about that ever-increasing fundraising goal?

Planned giving expert Kathryn Miree, in her excellent white paper, “Asking the Right Questions: The Mysteries and Metrics of Planned Giving Programs” makes the point that

“Donors who make bequest commitments give, on average, more than double the annual gift amount of donors who have not made a bequest commitment…bequest donors who receive ongoing contact and stewardship increase their annual gift at a higher rate than other donors, and are more consistent donors than the donor pool as a whole.”

I hope you are intrigued. Let’s talk.