In 2022, bequests made up 9% of charitable giving, totaling $45.6 billion. By the year 2060, an estimated $84 trillion dollars will be transferred from estates. But planned gifts don’t just happen, you have to ask for them. You don’t need a big budget to get started with planned giving marketing.  Add planned giving messaging to existing materials, including your website, ads in magazines and newsletters, social media, direct mail reply forms, and buckslips inserts in existing mailings or acknowledgments.

The next step is to execute specific planned giving lead generation campaigns, such as donor surveys, bequest appeals, or charitable gift annuity appeals. And don’t forget about the folks who raised their hand to express interest or request information. Continue mailings and emails to this group to ask about the status of their gift, share updates about your mission, and remind them that your planned giving team is available to speak with them.
With increased marketing touches, Emily’s List, an Impact client, has seen a 30% increase in legacy society members since FY22, representing a potential pipeline of over $15 million.

Who are your best planned giving prospects?  The people who have previously raised their hand to request information or indicate interest, loyal donors who have given over many consecutive years, monthly donors, and even lapsed donors who gave many years before they lapsed. There are also many models and screening tools that can help identify likely planned giving donors on your file and even flag donors with no children or heirs who may have a higher propensity to leave a gift to charity.

Whether you have a thriving planned giving marketing program or still need to get started, increasing your investment will pay dividends for years. Drop us a line if you would like to chat about your planned giving program.