By Doug Scott
Vice President, Fundraising Solutions & Grants

In my blog post last month, I made a case for why your nonprofit should incorporate planned giving into your overall development program. The hard truth is that many organizations are rightfully focused on the “right now” of managing operational costs and ensuring service delivery. It’s not so different from an individual living paycheck-to-paycheck; when you’re worried about the next two weeks, who can afford to think about the next twenty years?

But our philosophy on planned giving is simple: JUST START. While it takes dedicated time and one-on-one conversations for our team to create a fully customized planned giving playbook for each organization, there are a few components that will give anyone a solid starting point for building a program. And once you’ve started, momentum is likely to follow. So, let’s dive right in:

1. Create a legacy giving society.  Put some steps in place for where planned or legacy gifts will go, such as toward an endowment or board-advised fund. Bottom line: Find somewhere for them to “live.” If your organization has already received a large planned or legacy gift, you could consider naming the society after that person. And if you haven’t received such a gift, consider a name that means something to your history, such as a nod to the founder or the inspiration behind your existence.
   
2. Do a soft launch. Make sure your stakeholders know planned giving is an option. Start peppering information about your giving society into regular communications, such as at the bottom of your newsletters, in appeals, and through occasional social media posts. Keep it simple by posing a question such as, “Have you considered a gift to [organization name] in your estate plan?” or “Interested in leaving a legacy for [organization name]?” followed by contact information.
   
3. Develop a case for support. Think about what a planned gift will do for your organization’s long-term sustainability, and outline the strategic plan and direction of the organization. Make sure you can speak to your nonprofit’s strong leadership, succession planning, and board development. Planned giving is ultimately a donor deciding to part with a portion of their lifelong accumulated assets, which they’ve carefully and thoughtfully considered over the years. You’ll need to show that you’ve taken the time to do your own preparation and that your organization’s values align with their own. Doing this legwork will help ensure their confidence in your organization’s ability to steward their gift responsibly and with impactful outcomes.
   
4. Don’t try to boil the ocean. Most development staff are overwhelmed without having a planned giving program, but there’s no need to overthink it. Start by identifying 8-12 “best friends” of your organization and just have a conversation with those people in which you present your case statement and ask for their feedback. Don’t include an ask in that conversation, but be prepared to go there if they do.  The goal is to secure 2-3 “wins” or commitments. Once you have those, you have a legitimate giving society with members. Then, consider publicizing it (if the donors agree), and build on the momentum through storytelling: For those who committed to a planned gift, what’s their “why”? Demonstrating that others have invested in the long-term sustainability of your organization should make additional planned giving conversations a little easier and help you convince them that they, too, can help this organization they believe in — well into the future.

Many (if not most) nonprofits are understaffed and overcommitted, and it’s hard to fathom adding something else to your list that doesn’t have an immediate payoff. The good news is you don’t have to create a planned giving program alone. Our team looks at each organization and their capacity, and we work alongside them to build out a robust and customized playbook that accounts for the organization’s specifics goals and needs – a plan that meets you where you are, with an eye on where you want to go. Wherever your organization is with planned giving – whether you feel like it’s stalled out, or you have yet to start – feel free to reach out anytime for a conversation on how we can help.

I’ll leave you with some words from one of our friends:

Through the years, The Healing Place has made off-and-on efforts in planned giving, without a solid plan that we’ve maintained with any kind of consistency. However, we’ve been the beneficiary of several significant planned gifts and recognize the power of a dedicated planned giving program, which is why we embarked on creating a playbook with Ashley|Rountree. Now, we have a structured program and a detailed and outlined path forward. The playbook, combined with new executive leadership at The Healing Place, has us excited about what’s to come.

– Jay Davidson, co-founder and executive chairman, The Healing Place