INSIGHTS: Tips, Tricks and More!

Marketing can be expensive and, depending on how it’s executed, a drain on internal resources. To get the most return on your investment of time and money, start with a written marketing plan. Your marketing plan can be a simple one-pager that includes: Audience:...

While most planned gifts are simple beneficiary gifts, you will most likely encounter a donor who would like to make a gift beyond the “ordinary.” What will you do when a donor wants to donate their house, business, art collection, or property? Does the property have...

Many people ask me how to count planned gifts. The first thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between counting and accounting. “Accounting” relates to how gifts are counted with the finance office. These are the numbers we report on our tax returns....

Few organizations have goals around planned giving. We don’t want to bet on our donors dying, so I am not suggesting you set a goal for realizing planned gifts. I do, however, suggest goals that lead to and include planned gift intentions. Here are some examples of...

Often, planned giving programs are started by one person, usually someone with planned giving experience. When that person leaves the organization, so does the program with no one else in the organization fully involved, the program stalls. It’s imperative that you...

If you are going to start or grow a planned giving program with intention, the first thing I highly suggest you do is join the legacy society yourself. After all, how can you expect others to join if you are not a member? Once you are a member, it changes the...