Starting the planned giving conversation.

Those of us in the planned giving community spend a lot of time thinking about how to start the legacy giving conversation with donors.  The ironic truth is that most of the time we will never have that conversation.

Most donors will never tell us they’re considering or have already named our organization in their estate plans.  Moreover, the majority of donors haven’t even taken the first step of crafting a will or considering a charitable bequest.  That’s why it’s especially important that our marketing effectively respond to donor communication needs even when we have had no opportunity to personally understand what those individual needs might be.

Instead, we should talk about donor values and aspirations and how our organization puts its ideals into practice.  We must communicate effectively to groups of donors across the spectrum of information needs.  And we must use proven communication techniques, whether those relate to format, design or content.

This blog is about that conversation–communicating effectively along the continuum of a donor’s life-stage and along the continuum of a donor’s relationship with your organization.  This blog is also about a conversation among planned giving professionals.  I hope you’ll join in, post your thoughts and keep the conversation lively.

Phyllis