Myth 6: “Those Surprise Prospects Must Be Mistakes” — The Power of Unexpected Leads

Myth 6: “Those Surprise Prospects Must Be Mistakes” — The Power of Unexpected Leads

Sometimes when I’m meeting with a client, a name appears on the dashboard that no one recognizes as a likely planned giving prospect. Even though we can see that the prospect is consistently engaging with our planned giving emails, the instinct is often to discount the data because “that’s not one of our major donors” or “I don’t recognize that name.” But these surprises are often some of the most valuable leads.

1. Engagement Does Not Always Match Expectations
   Traditional indicators like major past giving or event attendance do not always predict planned giving interest. Some donors engage quietly through digital channels without drawing attention in other ways, or they may have been giving small but consistent gifts for many years.
2. Consistent Behavior Signals Real Interest
   When a prospect is repeatedly opening emails or clicking through to your planned giving site, that pattern is meaningful. Even if they have not raised their hand, they are actively exploring and may even be meeting with their attorney or financial adviser behind the scenes.
3. Data Expands Your Prospect Pool
   These unexpected names are not outliers—they are evidence that your marketing is reaching beyond your existing assumptions or wealth screening data. When you rely on engagement data instead of intuition alone, your pool of qualified prospects grows.

In my dashboard reviews with clients, these moments often shift the conversation. Instead of asking, “Why is this person on the list?” the question becomes, “What are they telling us through their behavior?” This is when organizations begin to uncover opportunities they would have otherwise missed, because of these hidden gems hiding in their CRM.