Delicate Plans Lead To Strong Foundations

Becca Rosin

Insights into planned giving and the new Organizational Best Practices course Blackbaud is offering on how to comprehensively steward planned givers at your organization.In a post about planned giving, I described the arboretum my father built over time for his descendants. While I helped him plant seedlings, I never knew his intention—until decades later, when I saw the mature trees. I told him I would have complained far less about all the work if I knew his end goal, and he replied, “Well, you never asked.”

This seems straightforward: If you want to know the answer, you must first ask the question.
I find this adage especially relevant for planned gifts. Sometimes organizations don’t prioritize planned gifts because there is no immediate reward. Additionally, it could be uncomfortable to ask constituents or potential donors for planned gifts because of the reality of when those gifts are typically received.

However, a recent study on planned giving by Giving USA found that 73% of all respondents were “‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ comfortable with their own mortality.” This comfort has only increased with the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey by FreeWill reports a 163% increase in wills made since March of 2020 compared to the same time in 2019.

While supporters may be more comfortable with the initial conversation about planned giving, there’s still the issue of knowing who to ask and how to ask them.

Blackbaud’s new 90-minute course Organizational Best Practices: Fundraising – Stewarding Planned Givers covers these and other aspects of planned gifts and your organization. From identifying potential planned givers to formulating solid stewardship practices, you’ll become versed in the art of fundraising, cultivating, and appreciating a valuable set of givers.

Like my father, many people want to leave something for future generations. It can be a wonderful thing to help them plant that seed.