Legacy Giving Incentives

ESTABLISHING A PIPELINE OF LEGACY GIFTS Smaller organisations often fail to engage with legacy giving, a powerful source of funding, but developing A pipeline of legacy gifts can secure long-term stability. To build a robust pipeline of legacy gifts: 1. Cultivate Relationships and Trust Legacy giving is very personal. It can involve individuals leaving a significant portion of their estate to a cause they care about, so cultivating strong, trust-based relationships is crucial. Regularly engage with your donors, listen to their stories, and understand their motivations. Personalised communications go a long way. 2. Educate and Inform Many potential donors are unaware of legacy giving or how to go about it. Create materials to explain how they can leave a legacy gift. Offer workshops, webinars, or one-on-one sessions to educate supporters on the benefits and process. Highlight the tax advantages and the impact gifts have on your organisation's future. 3. Incorporate Legacy Giving in Communications Feature legacy giving in your newsletters, social media, and annual reports. Share stories of past legacy donors and the transformative impact of their gifts. Testimonials from family members or beneficiaries can be compelling. This normalises legacy giving and keeps it in supporters' minds. 4. Create a Legacy Society This helps recognise and honour those who have included your organisation in their wills. It shows appreciation and creates a sense of community among legacy donors. Public recognition (with permission) can also inspire others to consider leaving a legacy gift. 5. Simplify the Process Make it as easy as possible for supporters to leave a legacy gift. Provide clear, step-by-step guidance on how to include your organisation in their will. Offer template language for bequests and connect them with financial advisors or estate planning professionals if needed. 6. Engage Professional Advisors Build relationships with solicitors, financial planners, and estate planning professionals who can suggest legacy giving to their clients. Provide them with information about your organisation and the impact of legacy gifts. Hosting informational sessions or providing educational materials can help them become advocates. 7. Regular Stewardship and Follow-Up Regularly engage legacy donors to ensure they feel valued and informed about your organisation's work and successes. Keep them updated with newsletters, invite them to special events, and acknowledge milestones. This reinforces their decision and can lead to increased support. 8. Analyse and Optimise Your Strategy Regularly review your legacy giving strategy. Analyse what’s working and areas for improvement. Collect feedback from donors and legacy society members to refine your approach. By focusing on these you can build a strong pipeline of legacy gifts, ensuring your organisation’s longevity and impact. #NotForProfit #PlannedGiving #Fundraising #Charity

The 70-year-old donor who's given faithfully for 15 years has never been asked about including you in their will. You're leaving millions on the table. Let me paint you a picture of your biggest missed opportunity: Mrs. Henderson has donated $2,000 every year since 2009. She attends your events, volunteers at your fundraisers, and talks about your organization to her friends. She's 73 years old, has no children, and considers your mission part of her legacy. You've never once mentioned planned giving to her. You're so focused on her annual gift that you've ignored her lifetime gift. You're managing a $2,000 relationship when you could be stewarding a $200,000 opportunity. Meanwhile, Mrs. Henderson is getting planned giving materials from three other nonprofits she supports. They're having conversations about legacy and impact that extend beyond her lifetime. They're positioning themselves as worthy of her most significant gift. You're not even in the conversation. Here's what's tragic: Mrs. Henderson would love to leave a bequest to your organization. She's been waiting for someone to ask her about it. She's been hoping you'd recognize that her faithful giving indicates deeper commitment. But you've never brought it up because planned giving feels "too aggressive" or "too complicated" or "too morbid." Your discomfort with legacy conversations is costing your organization transformational gifts from your most loyal supporters. Stop treating your long-term donors like annual fund prospects. Start treating them like the legacy partners they want to become. Because in fundraising, the gifts that change everything often come from the donors you've known the longest, not the ones you are hoping to meet.

A 19.7 percent increase in bequest giving is not a reason to order more planned giving brochures. Giving USA 2026 estimates that charitable bequests reached $62.19 billion in 2025. That is a substantial increase, although the report also notes that bequest totals can fluctuate considerably from year to year. The wrong response is to treat the number as a marketing opportunity alone. A new brochure, webpage, or email series may create awareness. But promotion without preparation can leave an organization unready for the very gifts it hopes to receive. Before expanding planned giving outreach, nonprofit leaders should ask whether the organization can properly earn, document, receive, and steward a legacy commitment. - Does the gift acceptance policy address bequests, beneficiary designations, real estate, closely held business interests, and other assets that may arrive through an estate? - Does staff know what to do when an executor, attorney, family member, or financial institution contacts the organization? - Can the database reliably distinguish between a confirmed gift, an informal expression of interest, and a donor who simply requested information? - Is there a thoughtful stewardship plan for people who have included the organization in their estate plans while they are still living? - Do the board and executive team understand that planned giving is not merely a technical specialty, but a long-term relationship strategy? - And does the organization know how to speak with donors about legacy in a way that goes beyond taxes, legal instruments, and giving vehicles? These questions matter because a bequest is rarely just a financial transaction. It may represent gratitude, identity, family history, faith, memory, or a donor’s hope that something important will continue after they are gone. That kind of gift requires more than competent administration. It requires trust. The recent increase in bequest giving should encourage nonprofits to take planned giving seriously. But seriousness begins with institutional readiness, not promotional materials. The opportunity is not merely to receive more bequests. It is to become the kind of institution people trust with the meaning of their lives. #PlannedGiving #Philanthropy #Fundraising

Fundraisers: you probably know we will begin to see a massive $84 trillion wealth transfer from Boomers to younger generations (lookin' at you, Millennials and Gen Xers). Most nonprofits need to rethink how we approach legacy giving. Boomers are our target audience for legacy gifts. But we need to begin thinking about how to engage younger donors in legacy giving, now, and embrace new strategies that align with the values, interests, and preferences of an increasingly tech-savvy, socially conscious donor base! Key things to note: Younger donors are more socially conscious. Millennials prioritize giving to causes that align with their personal values and ethics, at higher rates than previous generations. So, when pitching legacy giving, don't make it all about tax benefits. Instead, understand their motivations and connect your cause to the issues that speak to their hearts—and their Instagram stories. The future is digital. No shock here, right? 80% of Millennials are comfortable with digital interactions with nonprofits. The future state is still a ways off, but in 20 years, sending legacy gift brochures with photos of geriatric Barbie & Ken-esque models signing paperwork through the mail is probably not going to cut it. Instead, creating engaging content on digital platforms, and a sleek, mobile-friendly website is a must. Flexibility is key.  From 9/11 to the subprime mortgage crisis to COVID, the last 25 years have given Millennials and Gen Xers plenty of reason to want options, not rigid financial commitments. They know that they can wake up to unexpected, widespread chaos. 61% of Gen X donors report a desire to leave a lasting impact IF they maintain control over their giving and make adjustments to it. Involvement matters. I recently wrote on the importance of high quality volunteer experiences. But younger donors don’t just want to scoop the mashed potatoes at your meal service. Some want to hear the challenges and weigh in on solutions or give alongside others to make a bigger impact. Practical tips: Ditch the traditional lingo. Use language that resonates—skip the “estate planning” and focus on fueling lasting change and making an impact beyond their lifetime. Engage on social with storytelling and behind-the-scenes content. Pull back the curtain a bit. Younger generations want transparency and authenticity. Show how their legacy gift will drive future impact. Offer them control with options like customized bequest planning or flexible giving models to appeal to their desire for customization. Build community. Give donors a chance to make a collective impact. Giving Circles can work internally - consider bringing some donors together to discuss how they could commit to giving together long-term to fund a new initiative, making a real lasting difference around a cause and solution that matters to them - and begin the legacy giving conversation. Fundraisers, how are you seeing legacy solicitation and giving begin to change?

After speaking with some clients about their upcoming summer marketing efforts, I thought I’d put some things to consider in a post. If your planned giving outreach is full of jargon and looks like a legal notice, sorry - it's already in the recycling bin. A lot of legacy giving marketing programs are designed for the convenience of the organization. Boilerplate letters. Generic brochures. "Have you considered including us in your will?" blasted to the entire donor list… The subconscious signal it sends: this organization sees me as a line item. Planned giving donors aren't transactions. They're making a decision about their life's work. Start treating it that way. My 3 rules for planned giving outreach: • Name the relationship, not the vehicle. Skip "bequest language" and "charitable remainder trusts" in your opening line. Lead with what you both care about. "You've supported our scholarship fund for 11 years" hits harder than any tax benefit ever will. •One person, one letter. Your legacy donors are individuals. Even a mail-merged letter should feel like it was written to one human being and signed by someone they've actually met (or could). •The kitchen table test. If your letter looks like something they'd set aside to read slowly with a cup of coffee and not toss with the junk mail, you've won. Even better – make it a handwritten note. Legacy donors are reflective people making deeply personal decisions. Your outreach should feel like it deserves that kind of attention. ✅ Pro-tip: your best planned giving conversation starter isn't a brochure. It's a phone call that asks for nothing. Just gratitude, curiosity, and genuine interest in their story. The planned gift conversation follows naturally (sometimes years later). You aren't just asking for a bequest. You're being trusted with someone's final act of generosity. In a world of AI and automation, the most disruptive thing you can be is human. #legacygiving #plannedgiving #endowments #nonprofits #philanthropy

In 2024 alone, Americans donated a record-breaking $592.50 billion to charity—$1.62 billion every single day. Yet, here’s the overlooked engine behind long-term impact: planned giving. Most people picture planned gifts as something only for the ultra-wealthy or as a last act. The reality? Planned giving is a strategic tool that lets almost anyone create an enduring legacy—often without writing a check today. Consider these approaches: A simple bequest in your will can multiply your lifetime giving—industry analysis shows a typical planned gift can be 200 to 300 times larger than a donor’s largest annual gift. No need for complex arrangements. Naming your favorite charity as a beneficiary on a retirement account or life insurance policy may take just minutes. One recent donor made a modest annual gift for years—and through a simple bequest, her final legacy was more than 50 times her typical yearly gift. That one decision will sustain programs for a generation. Planned giving isn’t just about the future—it’s about making sure your values ripple forward, far beyond what’s possible today. What questions or experiences do you have with legacy giving? Are you exploring ways to amplify your long-term impact?

How we received a £975,000 gift through legacy giving. I remember being in the office when someone said they'd like to give the proceeds of their house sale in Devon to the international aid agency I used to work for. Someone nearly fell of their chair when they said the amount 😂 It was so generous I will never forget it 😇 And it was such an encouragement to our team because we'd been working locally building strong relationships with our supporters for many years. No other charity had the presence on the ground that we did. That's why the gift came. So how can you increase your legacy giving? 🤝 It’s personal. Talk to your donors. Some interesting research from Remember a Charity found that if you spend just 45 minutes talking to each of your donors they will actively consider leaving you a gift in their Will. I think that leaving something in your Will feels very personal and significant. If you feel that the charity actually knows who you are and a bit about you and your involvement, you’ll be much more likely to take the time to specifically remember them in your Will. ☺️ Normalise it. We know that people tend to do things that are perceived as “normal” and done by other “people like me”. But most people aren’t even aware of legacy giving. So mention it from time to time in your regular communications, without an ask. For instance, in your regular news updates could you mention that: “this project was able to get off the ground thanks to a gift left in somebody’s Will (ask the family if you could even name them…)? 🙌🏼 It’s about passion. When you do come to ask, the research I mentioned above also found that using a question like: ‘Many of our customers choose to leave a gift to charity in their Will, are there any causes you are passionate about?’ was much more inspiring than a straight ask. More people asked this way left a charity gift in their Wills, and they left twice as much! Aside from the “normalising” effect, this question makes you reflect on your life, what you stand for, what you want to invest in and be remembered for. 🤓 Be specific. Why do you need your supporter to leave a gift in their Will? What will it actually achieve? Why can’t you do without it? Your message needs to be personal, tangible, connect with their passion for the charity and be satisfying emotionally. Thinking about what will happen when you’re gone is a weighty subject, and you want to know that the preparations you make will really leave a positive legacy and make a difference. What are your thoughts and tips on legacy giving? #fundraising #legacy #team #charity

Hey fundraisers! This summer, I'm talking all about planned and legacy giving. And you may be thinking, this feels so bewildering. So let's make it not : When you started your most recent job, did you receive any benefits? Did you have to fill out a form to add beneficiary designations for your retirement plan? Yes? Guess what. So did your donors. And remember how you have some aging donors? (see my post on this subject from earlier this month linked below) Your donors have been working for decades. And had money growing in their retirement accounts all those decades. Without ever paying any taxes on that money (unless it’s a Roth IRA but that’s a topic for another day). So as this money grows, and as your donors are estate planning, they are likely to have this large asset – their retirement account. Did you know they could leave some or all of it to your nonprofit, without the need of a lawyer? Moreover, since that money was growing without taxes paid, it is a GREAT asset to give to a qualified charity because the charity won’t have to pay income or estate taxes. By talking to your donors about leaving their retirement assets to your nonprofit, they can potentially save taxes and avoid talking to (i.e. paying) a lawyer. Win for your donors. Win for your nonprofit. Nonprofit leaders, what do you think? Is this a type of gift you could talk to your donors about? Add to the comments your thoughts and message me if you're interested in talking about other ways to implement planned giving initiatives into your nonprofit. -- 🔹 I'm Susan Kahan, a fundraising consultant who equips nonprofit leaders to know what to do next with their donors so they can raise more money and increase the impact of their nonprofit. I’ve raised over $75 million in my career and personally held more than 500 donor meetings. Want to know how to do that too? Follow me for fundraising, nonprofit and business thoughts, tips, and rants. Connect with me if you're looking for help on fundraising consulting, planned giving, capital campaigns, assessments, training, or coaching. Go to my profile and get alerted for each of my posts when you press Follow! Click the three dots on the top right of this post to save to refer back to when you need it! 

1 Fundraising Finding: Permanence and death reminders   Today’s experiment highlights a key legacy-fundraising concept. Mortality reminders trigger two responses: avoidance and/or pursuit of symbolic immortality.   The second response is about leaving a lasting meaningful impact. Think of it like this: Yes, I admit I’m going to disappear. (I’ve moved beyond the avoidance response.) But some part of my identity (my people, my values, my story) will continue on after I’m gone.  Remind me that I’m going to disappear, and I’ll crave an impact that outlasts me. Simply put: death reminders make permanence attractive.   This idea matters for legacy fundraising. The largest gifts tend to go to permanent organizations (the oldest and largest ones) and permanent structures (like private foundations and endowments). This also matters for fundraising messaging. What works best for legacy gifts can differ from ordinary fundraising.   Today’s fundraising finding demonstrates that in an interesting way. In this experiment, participants could make a gift to a poverty relief charity. For half of the participants, the charity was described as “meeting the immediate needs of people.” For the other half, it was described as “creating lasting improvements that would benefit people in the future.”    Which description worked better? It depends. One group was first reminded of their own mortality through various writing exercises. The other group wasn’t. They instead wrote about a non-death negative (dentist pain).  For this normal group, there was a clear winner. Using “meeting the immediate needs of people” resulted in an average gift size 2.5X larger ($258 vs. $100).   For the death-reminded group, the results reversed. Now, using “creating lasting improvements that would benefit people in the future” resulted in an average gift size nearly 3X larger ($236 vs. $81).   The experiment shows that language choices matter. The organization and gift structure stayed the same. But describing the impact using permanence language made all the difference.   Mortality reminders prompt avoidance and/or pursuit of symbolic immortality. We can use both insights in legacy giving communications. To sidestep the avoidance response, avoid death language. Instead use lead-in topics like tax planning, asset protection, or “giving smarter.” To tap symbolic immortality use permanence language.    Original article: https://lnkd.in/gGfsK24C For more on this topic see my open access books Inside the Mind of the Bequest Donor: Chapters 5 & 10 The Storytelling Fundraiser: Chapter 9 The Biblical Fundraiser in Ancient Words: Chapter 15-III   All are available for free at EncourageGenerosity .com https://lnkd.in/dAP9ZPVV

Average Credit Card gift - $128 Average Gift in a will - $46,594 Don't miss your 364X opportunities.* "Long tails — the farthest ends of a distribution of outcomes- have tremendous influence in finance, where a small number of events can account for the majority of outcomes." - Morgan Housel in his blockbuster book, "Psychology of Money" I joined Paul Damon and Brad Tisdale, CPA💡 recently to talk about planned giving and incorporating it into the rest of your nonprofit fundraising efforts. Click over to Brad's profile to find #Nonprofitnuggets episode 11 if you'd like. But, Jon, even though bequests are great, they are rare... and our org still needs the money today. Have you seen the inflation rate? According to Viken Mikaelian, the founder of Plannedgiving[dot]org the studies show that supporters who put a gift in their will also increase their giving by about 75%... and it stays up. When you activate someone's legacy decision: You aren't trading today's dollars for tomorrow's possibilities. You are solidifiying their enduring commitment to your cause. The organizations that prepare now will reap a harvest. I talked on the phone last week with someone who made a 5-figure first time gift to Summit Ministries since he is looking for "Biblically faithful organizations he can trust" before he passes away. Plant your seeds today, and be unapologetic about the values you hold. There are families who deeply want to discover missions they can trust. * $128 times 363 = [just over] $46,594. (Also, the "Average Credit Card gift" number and "Average Gift in Will" number are from the USA in 2023.)