A New View on Planned Giving Fundraising

Wisdom Wednesday

Embracing a Donor-Centric Revolution

Understand what your donors need and want, not just what your organization needs.

New year, new view on planned giving fundraising.

Look at it from your donor’s point of view, understand what they need and want, not what your organization needs or wants.

The new year is always a great time to pause, reflect, and reset. Most of us think about new activities and new ways to approach our lives. There’s an entire industry built around how many of us set resolutions for the new year. I mean, most gyms’ financials are built on a flood of new members at the start of every year.

We all know the majority of “resolutions” don’t work – especially if you pick them like I have, a knee-jerk reaction to reviewing the previous year and instinctively knowing I could have done better.

As we approach a new year, I want to plant the seed of a revolution in your mind and not just a resolution. For the good of our donors and our organizations, I challenge you to take 60 seconds every day to think about our work as planned giving professionals and look at it through our donor’s eyes.

Key Donor-Centric Questions:

1. “If I’m 85 years old, how does this message resonate with me?”
2. “Does this help my best planned giving donor maintain control and determine their legacy?”

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do my daily activities focus on my donors and what they want?
2. Is my marketing relatable for those aged 75+?
3. Is my messaging structured for those that I want to reach?
4. Do I write with emotion?
5. Is my writing in a slightly older style of grammar?
6. Am I using larger fonts and more white space?
7. Do I help donors see that “people like them, make gifts like this?”