Soapbox Engage Blog

Planned giving, or legacy giving, is a philanthropic form of giving through which donors arrange for a donation to be given as a part of their financial or estate plan. Planned gifts are often deferred until a donor has passed. In comparison to other types of donations, planned gifts tend to be larger and more infrequent.

For many nonprofits, planned gifts are an untapped resource. This is because when compared to more common forms of fundraising, they do not provide the same immediate benefits. Consequently, valuable planned gift opportunities can easily be neglected amidst the demands of the regular fundraising season.

Although they usually don’t equate to immediate advantages, planned gifts are worth pursuing because they represent priceless opportunities to build relationships and secure future, projectable revenue.

Perhaps you've received a handful of planned gifts or donors have expressed interest in the past. To continue catching your donors’ attention, you’ll need to consider the most efficient ways to increase interest in your planned giving program and educate donors on their options.

Refer to these five strategies to cultivate planned giving curiosity:

1. Create a dedicated web page.
2. Invest in educational materials.
3. Adopt an email marketing strategy.
4. Use thoughtful, donor-centric language.
5. Found a legacy society.

A robust planned gift program can support your organization in the long run. By investing time and thought into your strategy today, it will set your organization up for future fundraising success. Let’s break down these strategies below.

Create a dedicated web page

For more donors to begin engaging with your planned giving program, they have to know it exists!

Create a centralized place on your nonprofit’s website that promotes and clearly explains your planned giving program. Your web page should indicate to readers how and who to contact to learn more.

Once you’ve covered your bases on this page, try to anticipate other questions that donors may have and provide answers. For example, donors may wonder what their planned giving options are. Although you don’t want to overwhelm readers, it could be a good idea to briefly explain the most prominent types of planned gifts:

• Bequests. Within their will, a supporter has the option to leave a portion of their estate to your organization. Bequests are by far the most common form of planned giving.


• Retirement/life insurance. A donor can gift their unused retirement funds or list your nonprofit as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy.


• Charitable gift annuities. A donor can give a large donation in exchange for a fixed income payment. Your nonprofit can use these funds to invest and hold onto them when the annuity’s terms end or when the donor passes.


• Charitable remainder trusts. A donor can give a gift of cash or securities for an income payment of a percentage of the principal amount. This amount can then be revalued and increased annually depending on the trust type created.


• Charitable lead trusts. For a defined number of years, a donor has the option to make payments to your nonprofit. These payments are then returned to the donor at the end of the defined term.

Providing a brief list of these options and other forms of non-cash giving empowers donors to choose a planned gift that best suits their individual preferences and financial circumstances. For instance, a reader could reference this list and learn for the first time that donating securities or gifting a retirement fund to their favorite nonprofit are options at all.

Anticipate your supporters’ needs by including the contact information of your planned giving program lead. Potential donors will have questions that your web page may not fully answer. Give them a chance to reach out and investigate specific giving topics.

Additionally, include a call to action within your web page so supporters can seamlessly begin the giving process. Place this call to action in an accessible location that links to an appropriate landing page. For instance, for supporters to create a will, you could say “create a next level legacy.”

Invest in educational materials

Create a well-crafted one-pager for those who prefer printed materials. Your planned giving educational materials should be simple and straightforward. Most importantly, your one-pager will need to focus on the impact planned gifts create for nonprofits and the unique benefits they bring for donors.

Consider gathering donor testimonials to showcase the powerful ripple effects planned giving can generate. Or, if your organization has a legacy society, mention how supporters can get involved and subscribe to the newsletter.

Partnering with an online service that simplifies the process of creating bequests for donors can also help your team more effectively promote its planned giving program. If you’re just starting to intentionally promote planned giving, look for platforms that can provide marketing guidance and customized materials.

Adopt an email marketing strategy

Keep donors updated with a dependable email marketing strategy. Donors have busy schedules, so making a planned gift isn’t always top-of-mind. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t want to make a difference.

Remind your donors of the impact they can make by preparing your emails ahead of time using warm, personable language. Be prepared to send your emails frequently as most email marketing strategies heavily rely on repetition to see results, and segment your audiences to more easily target different donor groups.

Freewill suggests integrating your planned marketing communications into your broader marketing strategies. By using both integrated planned giving mentions within other communications and a handful of stand-alone promotional campaigns, you will quickly catch a supporter’s attention. Leverage campaigns like Giving Tuesday and National Make-A-Will-Month to spotlight your planned giving programs.

Use thoughtful, donor-centric language

When addressing the subject of planned gifts, consider the donor’s point of view. Planned gifts can be sensitive topics for donors. That’s why it’s important to remind them of how much their impact matters. Empower donors to decide how they would like their planned gift to be used.

To maintain thoughtful, donor-centered awareness, there are a couple best practices to follow to when discussing planned gifts:

• Avoid mentioning death. Mentioning death decreases a supporter’s likelihood of donating. Instead, use action-oriented, lively phrases like “create an impact” or “forge your legacy”.


• Expect questions. Even to long-term supporters, this giving type may be totally new. In your outreach avoid making donors feel out of touch with planned giving. Rather, encourage their curiosity and write your communications with a helpful tone.


• Personalize your communication. When first reaching out to a donor and whenever possible, mention a donor’s first and last name to connect with them. Replace “I” or “we” with “you” to personalize your planned giving message.

For in-person or phone donor meetings, ask them thought provoking questions to spark interest. Questions like – what sort of legacy would you like to create? and if given the chance, how would you like to make a lasting difference?

Remember to prioritize empathy when discussing planned giving. By keeping your communication donor-focused, you offer a better chance for donors to genuinely connect with your organization.

Found a legacy society

Finally, if you do not have one yet, consider founding a legacy society to bolster your marketing efforts. A legacy society is a membership of people who have made a planned gift to your nonprofit organization.

Legacy societies are one way to add meaning to your regular outreach. Legacy society members have the opportunity to enjoy a strong bond with other members and with your organization. Your newsletter communications, events, and special volunteer opportunities invite them to get to know the heart of your organization.

Eventually, these society members won’t just partake in your organization’s activities, they will become impassioned advocates for your mission.

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By practicing the strategies above, your nonprofit will lay a solid foundation on which to grow your planned giving program for years to come.

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Guest post by Patrick Schmitt, CEO

Patrick Schmitt is co-CEO of FreeWill, which he and fellow FreeWill co-CEO Jenny Xia founded at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2016. FreeWill’s charitable giving platform makes it easier for nonprofit fundraising teams to unlock transformational gifts, and to date has generated over $6.6 billion in new gift commitments for thousands of nonprofit organizations. Patrick hosts FreeWill’s popular webinar series, educating thousands of nonprofit fundraising professionals each month about planned and non-cash giving strategies.

Before FreeWill, Patrick was the Head of Innovation at Change.org, where he helped grow the organization to 100 million users in four years. Prior to that, he ran email marketing for President Obama and served as Campaign Director for MoveOn.org.