How to know you’re making the right Planned Giving investments
"Over the past 5 years we've spent over $50,000 on Planned Giving, but don't have much to show for it."
That's what a Development Director said on a call with me - and she's not the only one. This is common among the charities who work with me.
They spend their Planned Giving budget on:
❌ Newspaper ads.
❌ A national campaign in Canada that essentially gives them a website listing and email templates.
❌ A one-shot direct marketing project. It produced great results to start, but then all momentum was lost.
The problem with these spends is that they ignore 3 fundamental Planned Giving principles:
Your best gift-in-Will prospects are your long-term loyal donors.
A donor’s gift-in-Will decision takes years.
Someone leaves a gift in their Will because they are deeply inspired to support your organization - and they trust you to carry out important work long after they're gone.
If you want to ensure your investment in a Planned Giving service is made wisely, keep those 3 principles at the top of your mind. Here are the signs that you’re making the right investments:
You get compelling messages tailored to your charity, rather than generic templates many charities use.
You target your loyal supporters (mass-market newspaper ads and website listings don’t go very far for this one).
And you get a comprehensive strategy with systems to build relationships over years. This includes data, procedures, consistent stewardship of your pipeline (outside of the annual giving or major giving portfolio), and more. This needs to be in place before you invest in marketing services or a “campaign”.
This is how you get a steady income stream of $50,000 estate gifts.
If you’re also frustrated that your Planned Giving isn’t working or growing the way you’d like it to, let’s chat! Book a no-pressure discovery call to see if we’re a fit.
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