Is Planned Giving Integral to Your Strategic Plan?

Is strategic planning coming up for your nonprofit? This is a great way to integrate planned giving into your overall strategy. But hold on, you say. If we focus on planned giving at our strategic planning meeting, it will take away from the “more important” issues. Right? 

Not so fast. It’s a common misconception that planned giving can be a drain on time, energy and resources. Not only is it easier than you think, it’s also one of the most important and lasting ways to secure a vibrant future for a nonprofit. 

Here are 5 ways to incorporate planned giving into your overall plan: 

1. Honor your planned givers! Create a legacy society, thank them in your annual report, and keep a close connection to them. Invite them to events, and if they are willing, utilize their stories to encourage others to consider it. They may not currently be among your biggest donors, but they will be. And donors who make a decision to include an organization in their wills usually increase their annual giving as well!
2. Include planned giving in your communications plan. If you are already using newsletters, annual reports, email campaigns, social media posts, and other forms of communication with your donors, make sure that they are hearing about planned giving. When you do this, make sure you focus on inspiration over information. Don’t overwhelm your donors with technical or legal language. Help them see the good they can do for their families and the world through planned giving.
3. Use your website. If you don’t have a “Ways to Give” portion on your site that makes planned giving easy for your donors and identifies the multiple opportunities they have to do it, you are missing a valuable opportunity!
4. Get your board on board. Your board of directors should be educated and engaged with your planned giving efforts. They should also be planned givers themselves.
5. Set goals with measurable results. Your planned giving program should be more than a wish and a prayer—it should be bringing a calculable return on investment. 

Don’t forget to make planned giving a part of your strategic planning. Get started today with a proven method and measurable planned giving results.