Engaging donors in the planned giving journey takes time and strategy. When talking to donors about how they want to leave a legacy, listening to their plans and dreams for the future takes time.
The question becomes: how do you find these people to have these conversations with? That is where the strategy part comes in.
A common group that exists in a non-profit is one of your best places to start: giving circles.
Whether they are called giving circles, giving societies, or giving groups, we will define giving circles as groups of donors that are already committed to your non-profit, give regularly and have been formalized into a cohesive group.
Your giving circle is a perfect group to engage in planned giving discussions. A few reasons why:
Start the legacy conversation with the leaders of your giving circle. Hopefully, the leaders of the giving circle will start the conversation with you and then become your champions with the group. Once you have engaged them, ask for time at their next meeting to discuss leaving a legacy.
This process also allows you to hone your message with a group that is close to you already. Use the stories of these consistent givers to show the importance of leaving a legacy to your larger audience.
Conversations with these core groups, like giving circles, helps build momentum in your planned giving program!
michael@lifelegacy.io
Retaining donors is more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. Learn practical strategies nonprofits can use to improve donor retention and grow sustainably.
If you need a single, compelling reason to prioritize planned giving this year, here it is: around 46 billion dollars flows to charities every year through bequests. In fact, the latest Giving USA numbers show that bequests in 2024 totaled about $45.84 billion—roughly 8% of all U.S. charitable giving for the year. That’s not a rounding error; it’s a transformative funding stream your mission can’t afford to ignore.
One of the most interesting parts of planned giving is that you never know what is going to happen! Planned gifts will surprise you. In an earlier blog, I talked about the planned gift that I DIDN’T accept. That was not even close to the most interesting gift that I ever received.
And this one isn’t either. But it was something I never expected.
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