Great nonprofit leaders understand that true impact isn’t just about meeting today’s needs—it’s about securing the future. While annual campaigns and major gifts are essential for keeping the lights on, organizations that thrive for generations don’t just focus on immediate fundraising. They invest in tomorrow by implementing, reviving, and doubling down on their planned giving programs. Legacy gifts create a foundation of long-term financial stability, ensuring that missions continue well beyond the present moment.
At LifeLegacy, we get to hear the stories of the impact that these gifts make every day. From the $400k annual budget small town organization that received a quarter million dollar bequest from a donor who had been a $25 per month recurring donor to the large estate gift that a major donor left. The impact is real, and we’re seeing it more often than ever before with the demographic shift in this country.
There is an overarching theme here. Planned giving isn’t just for the largest nonprofits—it’s a game-changer for organizations of all sizes. Yet too many nonprofits either neglect planned giving or treat it as an afterthought. The most forward-thinking leaders recognize that a well-developed legacy giving program isn’t just an extra fundraising tool; it’s an essential pillar of financial sustainability. By actively promoting bequests, beneficiary designations, and other planned gifts, nonprofits can build an endowment-like source of funding without the need for a traditional endowment.
Reviving or expanding a planned giving program doesn’t require massive resources—it requires intentionality. Leaders who make it a priority see exponential returns, as planned gifts tend to be significantly larger than one-time donations. Plus, they deepen donor relationships by offering supporters a way to make a lasting impact. With the right tools and technology, planned giving can be seamlessly integrated into a nonprofit’s fundraising strategy, making it easy for donors to include their favorite causes in their estate plans.
The best nonprofit leaders don’t just raise money for today—they create a financial future that outlasts them. By investing in planned giving, they ensure that their organization’s mission continues for decades to come. Those who take action now—whether by launching a program, reviving a dormant one, or investing more into planned giving efforts—are setting their nonprofits up for a future of stability, growth, and impact.
jordan@lifelegacy.io
The word “increase” is a bit of a conundrum. Many nonprofits are being asked to do more (increase) with less (no increase). Your planned giving program is no different. Raising more planned gifts with increasing headcount is not just a recommendation but a requirement.
Planned giving has long been a vital—yet underutilized—source of revenue for nonprofits. Unlike annual donations, which fuel today’s operations, planned gifts create a pipeline of sustainable funding for tomorrow. According to Giving USA, planned gifts account for billions of dollars each year, with bequests alone contributing more than $40 billion in 2023. Yet many nonprofits, even those with strong donor bases, fail to maximize this powerful opportunity.
In today’s increasingly digital world, nonprofits have more tools than ever at their disposal to engage donors and increase impact. But when it comes to planned giving—one of the most meaningful and transformational forms of donor support—many nonprofits are finding themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place: do they partner with a large tech company with little experience in the fundraising world that sees adding a nonprofit vertical as a revenue play, or do they work with a lean, experienced team that has decades of combined fundraising experience and an advanced online estate planning platform?
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