The most important step in any process is simply starting! How many of us have put off something we need to do around the house for way too long? We need to get our tools and get started! It is the same with planned giving. Don’t wait to start talking about planned giving, just talk about it!
As a young fundraiser, I read book after book, article after article about planned giving to make sure I knew as much as possible before I started talking to donors about it. I thought I needed all the tools. Looking back, I missed opportunities because I was afraid that I didn’t know enough. I had enough tools, I needed to start using them!
In almost 25 years of fundraising, very few, maybe one or two, donors have asked me the difference between a CRUT and CRAT (even though, through my reading, I could easily tell you!). Donors want to talk about how they can make an impact, more than the vehicles. And, if there is something you don’t know, donors are happy for you to research and get back to them with the best answer. That should never stop you!
To start talking to donors about planned giving you only need four things in your toolkit:
That is all you need! You probably have all of these handy, or they can be created quickly. Now, you are ready to start having the planned giving conversation. My final bit of advice: continue to learn as much as you can about planned giving, of course, but don’t let anything stop you from talking to donors about planned giving!
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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