Essential Nonprofit Resources for Planned Giving Professionals

Are you new to the planned giving world? Or have you been so sidetracked by daily urgency that you’ve lost sight of the bigger picture? Here are some resources that will inspire, educate, and remind you why you are in the nonprofit world in the first place! 

Conferences 

• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): An enormous conference attended by all manner of nonprofit fundraisers, the AFP ICON offers a bounty of options and opportunities to network. 
• Charitable Gift Planners (CGP): The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners connects planned giving professionals all over the United States. Each year their conference brings important voices to the table, and sessions address both big picture ideas and practical, everyday matters. 
• Nonprofit Technology Conference from NTEN: This gathering focuses on the newest and best ways to use technology for philanthropy. If you are new to the fundraising world, here’s an opportunity to learn about all the tools out there! 
• Nonprofit Storytelling Conference: In planned giving, telling your story is fundamental! This conference will teach you how to inspire your donors. 

Thought Leaders 

• Russell James offers his ideas to the world in a multitude of ways. He has a newsletter on LinkedIn, he makes videos and articles available on his website, and if you go to a fundraising conference there is a good chance he’ll either be speaking or someone will be speaking about him! 
• Tony Martignetti is a podcaster and the founder of Inspired Purpose Partners. His podcast, Nonprofit Radio, offers advice and ideas for small-to-middle sized nonprofits. 
• Andrew Olsen is a nonprofit marketer who writes, speaks and co-hosts The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast. You can find his books and watch videos of his speaking engagements on his website. 
• Wayne Olson is a speaker and author of multiple books, including Big Gifts, Small Effort. Videos of some of his presentations can be found at wayneolson.com. 
• Rhea Wong coaches development professionals about working with high-net worth donors. She has a book, a blog, and a podcast called Nonprofit Lowdown. 
• Vu Le is a writer, speaker, and former nonprofit professional who is perhaps best known for his blog Nonprofit AF, where he discusses hot topic issues within the nonprofit sector.  

Affinity groups 

• National organizations like CGP or AFP have regional and local chapters. Find out which one is closest to you! 
• Look for hyper local affinity groups in your area. Canopy is located in West Michigan, so we benefit from the Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance. 
• There may also be local affinity groups for your demographic. In our neck of the woods, we have groups for women in development, young nonprofit professionals, nonprofit roundtables, and more. 
• Find out if your local Chamber of Commerce offers resources for nonprofits. 
• Community foundations might also have groups to join, especially if you’re involved in any grant work. 

Other Resources:  

• Book: Ride the Wave by Mike Buwalda offers a lighthearted but important overview of the historic wealth transfer for faith-based nonprofits. Get it free here.  
• Daily Email: Philanthropy Today will show up in your Inbox every day with news and opinions, as well as links to webinars and other resources. 
• Magazine: The Chronicle of Philanthropy dives deep into different aspects of fundraising, and their website is the mothership for all kinds of resources, including the Philanthropy Today email newsletter mentioned above. 
• Podcast: Nonprofit Pulse examines new ideas and trends in the nonprofit world. 
• Research: Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy is published by The Giving Institute. While the goal is to analyze annual giving, the context that data provides is also vital information for planned giving professionals.