The PGM Blog

70 ½ vs. 73?

70 ½ vs. 73?

70 ½ vs. 73? We’ve been hearing some confusion from a lot of clients around the age split of 70 ½ vs. 73 for gifting from an IRA. Which is the correct age? What are the rules around each age? When it comes to marketing this great gifting strategy, the problem is both...

Wisdom Wednesday – Are you 85?

Wisdom Wednesday – Are you 85?

Are you 85? I didn't think so ...We've talked about the mindset of our most senior donors in the past. And we'll most likely talk about it forever. Why? None of us know what it's like to be 85 - unless we're 85.We've all been 16 before. Most of us have even recovered...

Generational Marketing – Traditionalists

Generational Marketing – Traditionalists

Generational Marketing - TraditionalistsTraditionalists include those aged 77+ and will be a key group when it comes to your planned giving outreach.Learning how to communicate with this portion of the population is important for your success. Discovering the nuances...

Tech Tuesday – IRS Discount Rate

IRS Discount Rate  With the signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and the provision referred to as Secure 2.0, there is newfound interest around Charitable Gift Annuities* (CGAs). Because of this we’re all becoming reacquainted with the IRS...

Wisdom Wednesday – Planning for 2023

Wisdom Wednesday – Planning for 2023

Planning for 2023 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 a great time to pause, reflect, and reset. Most of us think...

Tech Tuesday – Secure 2.0

Tech Tuesday – Secure 2.0

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and Secure 2.0  By now, you may have heard that President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Included in this act is a provision referred to as Secure 2.0. Major Takeaways: Raises the age for...

Marketing as a Cultivation Tool

Marketing as a Cultivation Tool

Have you ever heard of a theory of communication called the "cultivation" theory?The cultivation theory has been around since the 1960s, and it holds that "long-term exposure to media shapes how the consumers of media perceive the world and conduct themselves." In...

Grow Your Legacy Society with the Feeling of Unity

Grow Your Legacy Society with the Feeling of Unity

In the book Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade, author Robert Cialdini speaks of Unity: the idea that the more we perceive a person is “like us,” the more likely we are to be influenced by them. You can use this universal principle to grow your...

Leverage Your Planned Giving Legacy Society

Leverage Your Planned Giving Legacy Society

You've heard the quote: People don't remember what you've said, they remember how you made them feel. You've seen it in fundraising. When your donors feel valued and appreciated, their loyalty and affinity to your organization deepens. Your Legacy Society is an...

Increase Interest in a Planned Gift

Increase Interest in a Planned Gift

One of the easiest ways to increase interest in a planned gift is by tearing down fundraising "silos" and viewing a donor's giving behavior in a more comprehensive way. There's a misconception that a deferred gift doesn't benefit an organization today. Instead, the...

PSA: Add This to Your Marketing Immediately

PSA: Add This to Your Marketing Immediately

This Super Simple Practical Solution Makes and INSTANT Connection Between You and Your Donors Transcript:  GREG: Make sure you have your photo on any type of piece that's going out. I know most of us are like, "Oh, I don't want to be photographed," but that's so key...

A Deferred Gift Leads to Outright Gifts

A Deferred Gift Leads to Outright Gifts

Stories That Stengthen Donor Relationships Transcript:  JEFF: Greg, you were telling me stories about donors who, once you kind of get into the concept of impact and what is possible, all the other [technical] stuff goes away. Do you care to share that with the group?...

Planned Giving Donors Hiding in Plain Sight

Planned Giving Donors Hiding in Plain Sight

Are you missing some of your best planned giving prospects? Transcript: I recall a number of years ago, I met a client at a local community hospital. And upon arriving at the hospital, a retiree met me at the door and greeted me. And welcomed me into a waiting room...

Wealth Screening for Small Organizations

Wealth Screening for Small Organizations

Wealth Screening Lists vs. Marketing Lists   It's important to discuss why some of these screening tools and prospect identification is important for very large organizations, but why it's not an area to focus on so intensely if you are starting with a smaller...

Marketing a Planned Gift During a Recession

Marketing a Planned Gift During a Recession

Donor Science Consulting released a very helpful report that analyzed a group of 72k charities to see what we could learn from the “great recession” of 2008. Some highlights: Charities that successfully continued fundraising during the 2008 recession raised even more...

The Most Important Parts of a Planned Giving Website

The Most Important Parts of a Planned Giving Website

The most important parts of your planned giving website is to make sure that the website is reflective of the strategy of your marketing program. It goes back to what we talked about before: is the planned giving website inviting? Is the website inspiring people to...

How Prospect Identification Is Different for Small Organizations

How Prospect Identification Is Different for Small Organizations

I think it’s important to discuss why some of these screening tools, the prospect identification tools are important for some very, very, very large organizations--and why it isn’t an area to focus on as intensely if you are starting with a smaller list. Nobody has an...

What’s the Secret to Effective Planned Giving Marketing?

What’s the Secret to Effective Planned Giving Marketing?

In talking with fundraisers and other nonprofit professionals, we’ve seen a consistent and clear pattern: Organizations that continued their marketing without interruption saw continued donor engagement. Organizations that pulled back missed out on opportunities to...

The Job of Planned Giving Marketing

The Job of Planned Giving Marketing

Donor goes to the mailbox, right? They're not looking to get educated about the latest and greatest of the Cares Act. They are not go to their mailbox to find out exactly how a charitable remainder unitrust works. They’re not going to their mailbox for anything in...

What Makes Marketing a Planned Gift Effective?

What Makes Marketing a Planned Gift Effective?

Our lives have changed a lot in the last few months, but we've had the chance to evaluate what's working and what's not. Professionally, you've learned new methods for connecting with planned giving donors, using technology, and getting tasks done when you're not in...

How to be a fly on the wall (and identify planned giving donors!)

How to be a fly on the wall (and identify planned giving donors!)

Wouldn't it be great if your planned giving prospects called you every time they found your marketing interesting? Of course it would ... but, unfortunately, we both know they don't ... but that doesn't mean they aren't interested! Take a look at this screenshot:This...

Donor Story Remix: The Importance of Repetition

Donor Story Remix: The Importance of Repetition

We love interviewing our clients’ donors to get their planned giving donor stories. We hear some pretty remarkable things—things supporters are reluctant to share with a fundraiser. Their candor makes for compelling quotes and stories that resonate with other...

Let Your Hero Do the Talking

Let Your Hero Do the Talking

A few years ago, we interviewed a supporter of the Marine Corp Heritage Foundation. He had made a planned gift to the Foundation and was appealing to other Marines to “get their affairs in order” by updating their will or trust. Then he asked them to remember MCHF in...

The Easiest Way to Explain Planned Gifts

The Easiest Way to Explain Planned Gifts

Powerful donor stories are extraordinarily valuable because they make planned gifts so EASY to understand! Unfortunately, most donor testimonials aren't powerful ... in fact, they read like obituaries.  That’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the way it’s always been...

Effective Donor Communication Is Personalized

Effective Donor Communication Is Personalized

Dale Carnegie once said, "A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language." That's why, after thirty years of studying what works in marketing, we continue to come back to simple theme: personalize, personalize, personalize. As a...

3 Ways to Connect to Planned Giving Donors

3 Ways to Connect to Planned Giving Donors

Have you ever heard the saying, “There’s three sides to every story: his side, her side, and the truth”? Personally, I’ve always found that humorous. But I’ve realized something—it describes some of the conversations we have with planned giving donors. Think about it:...

Planned Giving Website Assessment

Planned Giving Website Assessment

Let's do a mini planned giving website assessment. First, we'll start by looking at how websites were used in the past, and how websites are used now. Take a minute to look at this photo.  Does that look like a modern site? No. Of course not. If you landed on that...

Your Planned Giving Website Is a Warmup Band

Your Planned Giving Website Is a Warmup Band

I used to be a big Van Halen fan, so when I learned they were coming to Scranton, I bought a couple of tickets and put the date on my calendar. But on the day of the concert, I wasn’t excited. I was tired. I had worked all day. I had a two-hour drive ahead of me. To...

Planned Giving Stories Make People Feel

Planned Giving Stories Make People Feel

Please join us in welcoming our guest author, Michelle Martin, Messaging Strategist and a Trained StoryBrand Guide. We hope you enjoy this guest post in celebration of National Write Your Story Day – March 14, 2019. A wealthy family from New Jersey posted an ad...

Tell Good Donor Stories

Tell Good Donor Stories

You’ve read plenty of amazing donor stories … and some that aren’t so good. But do you know what sets them apart? Use this mini-assessment to increase reader engagement and donor response.

Why Does the World’s Largest Online Advertiser Use Direct Mail?

Why Does the World’s Largest Online Advertiser Use Direct Mail?

Google owns my inbox, my browser, my search engine. They know my every digital move. And even when I’m not on their platforms they’re still serving me ads elsewhere. So, you’d think if Google wanted my attention and my business, they’d know how to find me and get my...

Planned Giving’s “Magic Words”

Planned Giving’s “Magic Words”

A lot of people claim key fundraising phrases work with donors, but we think we've found planned giving's magic words--words that improve both your planned giving marketing AND conversations with planned giving prospects and donors. What would you do with MAGIC words?...

3 Proven, Personalized Planned Giving Marketing Strategies

3 Proven, Personalized Planned Giving Marketing Strategies

Have you ever wondered if there are any truly effective planned giving marketing strategies--or if donor engagement comes down to pure luck? As a fundraiser, you've heard it all. You know different planned giving marketing companies disagree on what really works, so I...

10 Tips for Email Marketing for Planned Giving Programs

10 Tips for Email Marketing for Planned Giving Programs

As part of a broad-scope multi-channel marketing strategy, email marketing for planned giving is a timely and cost-effective way to keep your organization in the hearts of your donors, especially your most loyal ones. Email marketing offers an opportunity to inform,...

Contact Us

The best way to engage more planned giving donors is with effective marketing. We would love to help. Please give us a call, send an email, or fill out the form to get started.

Planned Giving Marketing
Lafayette Hill, PA
P: 484-680-7600 | F: 877-865-6812
info@pgmarketing.com

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