At Planned Giving Day sponsored by the National Capital Gift Planning Association, I joined a session with Lauren Winther-Hansen from FreeWill to lean into the importance of planned gift donor stewardship and hear the insights from their own Stewardship Survey. The majority of survey responses were collected from midsize organizations, including FreeWill partners, as well as the broader non-profit community. Here are the top takeaways: 

Only 1 in 3 organizations has a stewardship plan.
Save your time and energy with consistent, planned outreach to keep donors connected so their gift commitments stay in place. Remember, planned gifts are revocable, so they can be changed at any time. Do you have a written stewardship plan you follow and a budget associated with it? Write it down to make it happen! 

The numbers show planned giving stewardship falls behind.
While 62% of respondents reported having a legacy society, only half of those were active, and the remaining were dormant or shut down! Do you have a true legacy society? Or is it just another list of names? Make engagement a priority with a phone call or letter to members to learn if you are still included. Then, build a meaningful plan of how you will recognize and steward these members. Already hosting an event? Invite these special donors to a pre-event meet-and-greet. 

Fewer than 1 in 3 organizations use print for planned (or major) gift stewardship.
Print is still a solid stewardship tool. 56% of donors trust print more than any other marketing channel. Donors spend 39% more time with print than digital pieces. Annual reports and newsletters are great for stewarding Legacy Society members. Consider taking the time to add handwritten notes of gratitude.

Stewardship and relationship building is critically important for your legacy donors. Many people select just one to two organizations to leave their planned gift commitments to – making this the biggest gift in their lifetime. Show them the love to make sure your organization is one they keep in their plans and continue to support with pride.