Deep Dive: Planned Giving Acquisition
So you want $50,000 estate gifts?
Planned Giving Acquisition will get you there - it’s the engine behind a growing program.
(However, it will only be successful if you have effective fundraising foundations and Planned Giving Cultivation - check out the last deep-dives on our blog if you missed them!)
When it comes to gifts-in-Wills, our portfolios are measured primarily by “hand-raisers”. That is, people who let you know that they’ve left a gift in their Will, that they intend to leave a gift, or that they’re interested but not committed yet.
Acquisition gets donors to raise their hands. This includes:
Check boxes on donate forms
Will writing campaigns
Surveys.
Long-form letters
Digital ad campaigns
“Lead generation” forms
1:1 conversations
And more!
But it’s more than asking “would you consider leaving a gift in your Will to our charity?”
The best acquisition includes messaging from your Planned Giving Case for Support. Before asking the question, it calls on the donor to reflect on their values - and how they align with the nonprofit. It shares social proof of other donors who have left gifts in their Wills.
A Planned Giving survey is not simply adding a question to your usual marketing survey.
When done well, the whole survey thoughtfully guides donors through a reflection on their life, values, and support of the organization. Basically, it puts them in the best headspace possible to receive your gifts-in-wills question.
Even Will writing campaigns are most effective when targeted at a warm audience of prospective Planned Giving donors (read more on that here).
Remember - the key to successful one-to-many acquisition campaigns is follow-up! Only send your campaign to as many donors as you can handle the follow-up for. Sending out your campaign in batches is important to manage your capacity.
Everyone who raises their hand with interest should receive a personal phone call, and continue to be cultivated until they make a gift commitment (or tell you they’re no longer interested). If they tell you they left a gift, call to thank them as soon as possible - then move them into the “lifelong stewardship” phase - which we’ll cover next week!
This is part 3 of a 4-part series diving into the new Estate Gifts Donor Cycle model - a training tool developed by Tess Conrad, CFRE for understanding gifts-in-wills best practices. Sign up for our newsletter below to ensure you get the next deep dive!
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