Marketing Planned Giving
By Peggy Jackson, Senior Associate
August 2011

“Newsletters, Websites, Postcards, Target Mailers & More!” touts an ad from a planned giving marketing company. It’s no easy task to craft a planned giving marketing strategy that’s affordable, implementable and, most important, effective. Yet all organizations should engage their donors in thoughtful charitable gift planning, since planned gifts allow donors to create lasting legacies that can make a tremendous difference to an organization’s ability to accomplish its mission.

“The right gift, to the right audience, at the right time” is the mantra of fundraising marketing strategies. When it comes to planned giving, the right gift at the right time should be all about the donor’s needs, and less about the organization’s fundraising schedule. So, no matter which distribution channels an organization selects as a part of its marketing strategy, the focus should be on mission awareness, personalized donor stories, donor acknowledgement and the impact that the donor’s gift can have.

Second, no matter how well-designed the marketing piece, it will be ineffective if not delivered to the right audience. Consistent giving and demonstrated donor loyalty (think subscribers, members and volunteers) are often more important than gift size as predictors of willingness to make a planned gift. So, as you create your marketing plan, it is important to understand who in your donor base will be your best prospects.

Most important, the majority of planned gifts are made as the result of face-to-face visits. A passive planned giving program that relies solely on direct marketing materials is less likely to motivate donors to share their gift intentions. So, the elements of your planned giving marketing strategy should be designed to support your personal intervention and follow-up.

If your organization wants to create a new marketing plan, revitalize or expand an existing program, or expand the influence of planned giving within the context of a capital campaign, Schultz & Williams can help you develop strategies regarding:

• Prospect Identification
• Direct mail and print materials – including brochures, newsletters, inserts, ads, stand-alone mailings – and integration of planned giving messaging into your organization’s existing communication pieces
• Creation of a planned giving web presence
• Email Communication
• Preparing stewardship and cultivation events and seminars for donors as well as for legal and financial advisors

To learn more about how S&W can help your organization design and implement a planned giving marketing program, please contact us by email at mail@schultzwilliams.com or by phone at (215) 625-9955.

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.