• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Joe Garecht Fundraising

Maximize Your Fundraising. Multiply Your Impact.

Maximize Your Fundraising.

Multiply Your Impact.

  • Home
  • Services
    • Consulting
    • Speaking
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Joe Garecht
    • Our Clients
    • Testimonials
  • Newsletter
  • Resources
    • List of the Best Fundraising Blogs
    • Fundraising Tools
    • Sample Fundraising Plan
    • Sample Case for Support
    • Sample Fundraising Letter
  • Contact

10 Things You Might Not Know about Planned Giving

by Michael Rosen 2 Comments

About Planned Giving...Planned giving programs come in various degrees of sophistication and scope depending on organization type, donor population, organization budget, and other factors. There are infinite varieties of such programs, which means that virtually any nonprofit can (and should) have a planned giving effort of some sort.

The following list of 10 factoids about Planned Giving — drawn from my book Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing — provides some valuable insights:

#1 – Planned Giving does not necessarily have to be difficult. For example, you do not need to be a gift planning expert to seek the following five types of simple, common gifts:

  • Gifts in a Will (Bequests)
  • Beneficiary Designations (involving all or part of life insurance, IRA, etc.)
  • Gifts from an IRA
  • Gifts from a Donor-Advised Fund
  • Gifts of Appreciated Stock

#2 – Planned Giving does not hurt Annual Giving efforts. The average donors who include charitable gifts in their estate plans actually increase their annual giving significantly.

#3 – Only 37% of Americans over age 30 have some familiarity with the term “planned giving.” So, instead of talking with donors about planned giving, talk with them about what they’d like to accomplish with their philanthropy, then show them how they can do that by talking specifically about the above giving methods, or others, as appropriate.

#4 – You should not have a button on your website that says “Planned Giving.” Instead, the button should say “Other Ways to Give.” You’ll get significantly more click-throughs.

#5 – Do not ask for a “bequest gift.” Instead, significantly increase your chance of getting support by asking for a “gift in your will.” Keep your language simple and understandable.

#6 – Monthly donors are six times more likely to leave a charitable gift in their will than those who donate once per year. So, be sure to include monthly donors in your planned giving communications and appeals.

#7 – Those who volunteer and donate money are more than twice as likely to make a charitable estate gift as those who do only one or the other. Those who just volunteer or just donate are equally likely to make an estate gift. So, be sure to ask your volunteers to make a planned gift such as including your organization in their will.

#8 – Wealth is not held in cash. Only one percent of financial assets are held in cash! Wealth is held in assets (e.g., stocks, personal property, real estate, retirement accounts, life insurance, etc.). So, if you want larger donations, you need to talk with loyal supporters about making a planned gift from non-cash assets.

#9 – Planned giving allows donors to make larger contributions than they otherwise could through cash alone. For example, those with estates valued at $100,000-$499,999 make charitable estate gifts valued at 1.89 times their total annual giving. Those with estates valued at $500,000-$999,999 make charitable estate gifts valued at 3.73 times their total annual giving. For a contribution larger than a donor’s annual giving, ask for a planned gift.

#10 – Those without children are far more likely to make a planned gift. The presence or lack of children is the greatest indicator of whether or not someone will include a charitable gift in their will. When prioritizing prospects, recognize that your childless loyal supporters will be the most likely to include your organization in their estate plans.

Every year, realized bequest giving alone accounts for seven to nine percent of overall philanthropy, according to Giving USA. What percentage of the money your organization raises comes from bequests? If it’s more than nine percent, congratulations! Keep up of the good work. If it’s less than seven percent, you have a great opportunity for growing your fundraising results.

Whether simple or complex, a planned giving program can help your organization achieve greater fundraising results and enhanced mission fulfillment.

About the Author

Michael J. Rosen, President of ML Innovations, Inc., is the author of the bestseller and award-winning book Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing. He is also the publisher of the top-rated blog Michael Rosen Says… Michael can be reached at mrosen [at] mlinnovations.com.

Photo Credit: UC Davis College of Engineering

Share or Print this Article:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Print

Filed Under: Fundraising Strategy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barbara Ingersoll says

    March 11, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    Thanks so much for this very helpful information. We had not considered a planned giving program for our non-profit but the idea really resonates with us right now since we, ourselves, are in the process of drawing up our own wills.

    I’ll share this information with our fledgling board – and order a copy of your book!

    Reply
    • Michael J. Rosen says

      July 2, 2019 at 8:28 pm

      Barbara, thank you for your kind comment. I’m glad to know my post inspired you to think about planned giving for your organization. I wish you the best!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Free E-Book

E-BOOK: 10 Great Ways to Find New Donors for Your Non-Profit
Get the e-book, plus weekly tips in our fundraising newsletter!









Your email is safe

From the Blog

Nonprofit Board Fundraising

How to Turn Your Board Into a Fundraising Machine

Fundraising KPI

10 Essential KPIs for Measuring Fundraising Success

Let's Get Started!

How to Be a Proactive Fundraiser

Browse by Topic

  • Cultivation & Communication
  • Donor Stewardship
  • Finding More Donors
  • Fundraising Strategy
  • Making Better Asks
  • Raising Money Online

Featured Partners

MobileCause
Next After
DoJiggy

Footer

Get in Touch

Have a question or need help with your fundraising?  Let’s talk!

joe@garecht.com
(215) 839-9085

What We Do

We help you raise the money your non-profit needs to thrive.

Our Services »

What Folks Say

“GFA has been a vital part of increasing our fundraising revenue this year by 20%.”

Testimonials »

Let’s Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Garecht Fundraising Associates

About  |  Site Map  |  Privacy  |  Contact

Get Our Free E-Book!
E-BOOK: 10 Great Ways to Find New Donors for Your Non-Profit

Get the e-book, plus weekly tips in our fundraising newsletter!










Your email is safe