Category: Financing & Loans

CFC Special Events & Resources
In my July 11th post I talked about what a “culture of philanthropy” is, and the value of establishing one in your non-profit. The point is that CFC workplace giving campaigns provide many opportunities that smart non-profits can use as a “practice field” for many aspects of professional development, including planning, organizing, public speaking, and listening.

Team Work
Team work is an essential aspect of all organizational work, and yet we really don’t spend a lot of time practicing the skills that lead to better teamwork. In terms of generating awareness about the fact that your non-profit participates in the Combined Federal Campaign there are multiple opportunities for staff to make contacts and work on relaying what the mission of your non-profit is, and to share your story on how you accomplish this mission.

There are two big categories of outreach techniques: those that you control; and those that you don’t. You must use both, but don’t be lulled into believing “If only there was a feature article about us in the home town paper, all would be golden.” It might very well help (if it’s a positive article) but it does not have a lasting effect.

Outreach Techniques That You Don’t Control
Media coverage – you, a staff person or volunteer who wants to work on press relations can write the media releases. And, if you submit them to some of the free Internet press release sites, you’ll be amazed at how widely the releases may be picked up. I worked with one local non-profit that, because of such a release, got a call, which no one could have predicted, from the Voice of America.

Outreach Techniques That You Control

Website – your website should have the CFC logo and your CFC ID number on the homepage. This will answer 90% of the questions that a potential CFC donor may have.
The entire staff and especially the front-desk person should know the answer to the question: “Are you in the CFC, and what is your code number?”
Email signatures – especially during the solicitation period, include in all staff e-mails the fact that you participate in workplace giving campaigns, and your CFC number, and thank them in advance for considering your non-profit.
Signage – Depending upon your physical location, you may be able to put up signs in a storefront type window, if you have land with a fence, hang a sign on the fence.
Sandwich boards – CFC charities that don’t have visible office space often use sandwich board signs that have their name, their CFC code and are put up in road medians (where legal) during the fall solicitation periods.
Outside banners – the American Red Cross hangs a 5 x 15 foot banner from the roof of its headquarters in Washington, D.C. during the CFC solicitation period.
Relationship building – talk to your neighbors, others that you come in contact with, and if someone mentions that they’re a Federal employee, ask them, by the way, did you know that we’re now in the Combined Federal Campaign?
Social Media – if your non-profit is on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. make appropriate remarks there and on blogs related to your mission about your non-profit, and include the fact that you’re now participating in the CFC.
Vehicles – If your non-profit has vehicles with your name on it, add magnetic signs with the CFC logo and your CFC ID during the campaign season and you get a rolling billboard that potentially thousands of potential CFC donors will see.

What’s next?
In my October post I will discuss how you might leverage Special Events to increase your visibility and “productivity” for the CFC.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

Unlike all of the other planned giving mechanisms, a bequest program doesn’t require major technical expertise and specific financial instruments. It’s easy, it’s fast, it can pay off substantially, and the dollars from bequests comprise close to 90% of all planned gifts.

Many non-profit organizations refuse to get into planned giving because of the perception that it’s all about technical wording and/or complicated financial instruments. That’s a misperception.

Most planned gifts mechanisms do require some degree of technical expertise, possible registration/approval by States, and a legal contract between the donor and the non-profit organization, BUT NOT BEQUESTS!!

Bequests are simple, and should be a standard item in every organization’s development tool box. Simply worded, a bequest is a gift left to you in someone’s will.

Your job is to get those who might namAnother Approach to Getting Bequestse you in their wills to want to do that.

What do you have to do?

1. Reach out to folks and get them involved with you and what you do.
2. Involvement means working on committees, being asked for advice, helping to provide service
3. Be creative, think of how to get people so excited about being part of who you are and what you do that they’d want to help continue that work, even after they’re gone.
4. Let them know how easy it is to leave you a bequest.
5. Let them know of the recognition they’ll get — the appreciation they’ll be shown — while they’re still here.
6. Create a named “society” just to honor those who name you in their wills.

Recent figures show over $16 billion in bequests given to non-profit organizations in just one year. Do you want some of that !?

The most effective way of launching/expanding a bequest program is to have a number of trained volunteers cultivating and educating your potential legators. And, the most effective program for involving volunteers with those potential donors doesn’t even involve an Ask. That’s right, no one will have to ask the prospect to make a bequest.

I’d be happy to send to you a description of a program to involve volunteers in the bequest generation process – just write to me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com.

Consider, those who (first) name you in their wills are more likely to make major and planned gifts to you while they’re still with us. And, many Board Members find it easier to ask someone to name an organization in their will than they do to ask someone to write a check.

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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating
or expanding your fundraising program?
AskHank
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you heard about
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99-$3.99) 🙂
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

There comes a time when some non-profit development professionals begin thinking about saying goodbye to their organizations and hello to the world of fundraising consulting. They want to know what it takes to be a consultant, and how to find clients.

Although the consulting profession may seem attractive, the leap into this hazardous arena requires serious thought and honest assessment of your knowledge, temperament and motivation.

Consultants must respond to a wide range of challenges, so they need to have a wide range of experience.

I know from hard-earned experience what it takes to provide sound, reliable counsel to non-profits facing the challenges of recruiting volunteers, identifying prospects, managing campaigns, and asking for money. No one should expect to be hired as a fundraising consultant without having behind them a broad base of experience in meeting and overcoming these challenges. Reading books and attending seminars are valuable learning experiences, but nothing trumps real-life experience.

Large or small, young or seasoned, experienced or novice, clients expect consultants to deliver the detailed plans and proven tools the organization needs to attract the funds it seeks. This is a demanding profession where the consultant cannot say to a client, “I don’t know,” or “I’m not sure,” or “What do you want to do next?”

It can be intimidating when all heads turn and all eyes focus on the professional consultant seated alone at the end of the meeting table, the one charged with answering any and all questions, and the one on the receiving end of sometimes harsh criticism.

You Definitely Are On Your Own
As a fundraising consultant, you must stand ready to answer the inevitable questions:

• Why isn’t the money coming in?
• Why isn’t the money coming in faster?
• What do we do now that the Campaign Chairperson is no longer available?
• Why isn’t the solicitation committee doing its job?
• What do we do now that our biggest and most promising prospect has said, “No”?
• Should we put the campaign on hold until the economy gets better?
• Should we lower the goal since it seems we can’t reach it?
• I know we still need a million dollars to reach our goal, but shouldn’t we start going to the general community for $50 and $100 gifts?
• What do we do since our own Trustees are not giving at levels we counted on?
• You’re a consultant, supposed to be experienced in fundraising. Since we’re not as experienced in soliciting as you are, and with our campaign lagging behind, why can’t you make some solicitation calls for us?
• What are we paying you for, anyway?

And so they go. Would you be able to answer these questions? Equally significant, would you be able to act on them?

Make sure you can, and do. Your next contract depends on it.

Fundraising consulting is deeply rewarding and fulfilling. It’s also a highly precarious profession, definitely not for everyone. Before you take the plunge, make certain you have more than adequate experience, that you possess superior judgment, that you have very thick skin—and more often than not, that “luck” seems to favor you.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

Although everyone knows that benefits are extremely important in a government grant proposal, I am constantly astonished at how many proposals are all features and few, if any, benefits. This is a serious omission because the lack of explicit benefits almost always means that the proposal will be unpersuasive to reviewers.

Everything in your proposal has to answer a simple question – “So what?” Features are an important part of proposals but they cannot answer this important question. You need benefits to provide a compelling answer.

A feature relates directly to your services, for example:
• We have been a nonprofit organization for 15 years.
• We will allocate ten key personnel in the first year of the grant period.

In contrast, benefits are some aspect of your service that addresses an issue or problem of your funder. It provides some sort of value.

Creating Benefits
The first step in creating benefits in a proposal is to identify the government agency’s most pressing issues and needs. Next, you must reach a common understanding about these issues and needs. Why is the funder concerned about them? What parts of our services address these issues and needs? And how can we make our benefits compelling and persuasive to the funder?

Then you must clearly link the features and benefits in your proposal’s text and graphics. A great place to begin would be the Executive Summary.

Below is an example of how you would link a feature to a funder’s benefit (efficiency) in family planning.

Bad: We have provided family planning services for 15 years.
Marginal: Our family planning services are very efficient.
Better: Through our social marketing programs, our family planning services recover approximately 70 percent of their costs.
Great: Through our social marketing programs, our family planning services recover approximately 70 percent of their costs. Of all major family planning organizations, we have the lowest average cost per Couple Year of Protection (CYP) – less than $1.00.

Emphasize the Benefits Again and Again
Government grant proposals are 10,000 details, and so it is understandable why they often become little more than laundry lists of features. But features in and of themselves are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.

Your end is what benefits the funder and only what benefits the funder. It does not matter what you offer, only how you can address a funder’s issues and needs. After all, if there were no issues and needs you would not be reading grant guidelines from a government agency.

Focus on the benefits at the beginning of the proposal and tailor your most important features to address the government agency’s issues and needs. This will make your proposal more persuasive and more likely to be funded.

Remember – features tell, benefits sell. Benefits are very important because they tell reviewers why you should receive a grant.

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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc.,
helps nonprofit organizations develop
successful proposals to government agencies.
Contact Jayme Sokolow.
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Look for Jayme’s ebook on
Finding & Getting Federal Government Grants.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap 🙂
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We take a break, here, for the Labor Day Weekend,
and we’ll resume our twice-per-week posting schedule
on Tuesday, September 3rd.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

My response to an email from an Executive Director….

You indicated that it is your “goal to eventually turn over all operations to [your VP] and assume a position as Board Chair … [so] that [you] might be able to continue to form the basic direction of the intended purpose of the organization.”

Non-profit organizations go through distinct stages of “life,” much as we do. The first, which I refer to a the Childhood of an organization, is the period beginning with the (usually small) group of volunteers who have the “vision,” and where those volunteers do it all. They give of their hearts and their time, and often sacrifice to make it happen.

In the final stage of an organization, which I call Maturity, the mission is clear and ingrained, Board Members are selected for their expertise in various areas that allow them to formulate/evaluate adherence to policies, oversee corporate finances, engage in strategic planning, and help to provide/obtain much of the funding for operations.

The stage in between those two, the period of growth and painful change, I refer to as Adolescence. Part of what makes this period painful is that the 501(c)(3), in order to qualify to keep its IRS status — and probably its State non-profit status, must have a functional Board of Trustees.

By law, it is the Trustees who are responsible for the proper operation of an NPO and for oversight of its mission, policies and finances. That raises the question of who gets to be Board Chair.

Most State laws require a vote by Board Members (or members of the corporation — if you have such) to select officers. Most States also require term limits for Board Members, and for officers.

I often note that the phrase, “Founder’s Syndrome,” is used in the context of describing what’s wrong with an organization. That “syndrome” is characterized by the founder acting to dominate/control the activities/mission of an organization.

The law, however, gives that authority to the Board-as-a-whole — a Board that can change the organization’s mission with a (majority) vote. And a founder who “bullies” Board Members or doesn’t allow them to give all they can, creates an environment that weakens the NPO and doesn’t allow it to meet its potential.

The very nature of a 501(c)(3) organization is that it meets the needs of its community as determined by a Board that represents that community.

A large percentage of the horror stories told in the non-profit community involve a “founder;” but, there are also those founders (not all are evil) who are comfortable playing the limited role allowed by law. Either as Executive Director/CEO or as a Board Member serving a limited term.

Like a child, NPOs also have to be allowed to grow — to change their nature — to mature. If someone (like a founder) with the vision can adapt to a changing world, the community benefits from that person’s wisdom and from an evolving NPO serving its needs.

You’ve helped to create something of great benefit to your community…. But the hardest concept to accept is that a NPO is not the property of one individual, but of the community.

And, again, “Who gets to be Board Chair?” — the person elected to that position by the other board members !!

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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating
or expanding your fundraising program?
AskHank
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you heard about
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99-$3.99) 🙂
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

In my June 6th post, I discussed the preparation of financials for grant proposals and introduced the team members integral to this effort.

This month’s post will continue with a review of budget templates, and details on what to include in budget narratives and budget justifications:

Budget Templates:
The Missouri Common Grant Application budget templates are available for download on the Gateway Center for Giving’s website.

These line item program and operating budgets include both expenses and revenues, and are identical except that depreciation is included as an operational expense and not as a program expense.

Expenses: Salary and Benefits; Contract Services (consulting, professional, fundraising); Occupancy (rent, utilities, maintenance); Training & Professional Development; Insurance; Travel; Equipment; Supplies; Printing, Copying & Postage; Evaluation; Marketing; Conferences, meetings, etc.; Administration; Depreciation (operating budget only); and Other.

Revenues: Local Government; State Government; Federal Government; Individuals; Foundation; Corporation; Federation (such as United Way or the Combined Federal Campaign); Membership Income; Program Service Fees; Products; Fundraising Events (net); Investment Income; In-Kind Support; and Other.

These templates are very detailed, and I have found that many foundations request both program and operating budgets in simpler formats. These simpler line item budgets include the following categories:

Expenses: General and Administration; Program; Fundraising; Property, Plant & Equipment; and Other.

Revenues: Individual Gifts; Foundation; Corporation; Government; Events; Program Service Fees; Interest Income; In-Kind Gifts; and Other.

I recommend working with your team prior to the start of your next fiscal year to develop budgets in these formats for your organization’s annual operating budget and for programs that you plan to include in grant proposals. Determine which budget format to submit in your proposals based on the level of specificity the grant maker requests, and if they don’t specify, then stick with the simpler format.

Budget Narratives:
Many foundations require a budget narrative in addition to your line item program budget. These narratives should include a description of the long-term viability for your program, how the program will be supported after funding from the foundation ends, and your organization’s fundraising strategies. In addition, this section usually includes a list of other foundations and corporations to which you have requested funding for this program, the amount, and status of each request, and future grant opportunities for this program.

Budget Justifications:
Some larger foundations (and certainly most, if not all, government grant applications) also require a justification for each item included in your line item program budget. If required, you will need to include a description of each line item expense listed in your program budget and why it is needed. Indicate whether the expense is new for your program or if funding is being requested to cover a current/existing expense. If possible, also explain why the expense is cost-effective.

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Lynn deLearie Consulting, LLC, helps nonprofit organizations develop, enhance and expand grants programs, and helps them secure funding from foundations and corporations. Contact Lynn deLearie.
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Look for Lynn’s ebook on Grants & Grantsmanship.
It’s part of The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap 🙂
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

During a board meeting, many years ago, an influential and highly respected trustee declared, “What we need is more endowment. We ought to have a $20 million endowment campaign.” Being a trustee of influence and affluence, all heads nodded in agreement with him.

Hearing that declaration made with no justification, and no warning, I was in no position, as Director of Development, to show any reaction as to whether we could and/or should raise that large an amount.

My emotions were another thing … as I groaned, inwardly, and said to myself, “Oh no!”

But it was to be, “Yes!” The suggestion was made, after all, by a trustee that no one was going to question. So, off we went: Big Goal, No Plan.

That experience brought to mind those great old movies with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The ones in which the “kids” had a money-raising dilemma that perplexed them. Then, Mickey would light up with youthful exuberance and optimism. He’d turn to Judy, and say, “I know, let’s put on a show! We can do it!”

An hour and a half later, after a liberal dose of movie magic, they’ve put on a production worthy of Broadway, the problem is solved, everybody has had a good time, and Mickey and Judy are in love.

Shamefully, there are organizations that operate in much the same way. Faced with the dilemma of growing financial need outstripping static resources, officials of those nonprofits will turn to one another and say, “I know, let’s put on a new fundraising campaign! We can do it!” Another case of big goal, no plan.

Unfortunately there is little movie magic in the non-profit world. Too often the campaign fails, the problem is still there, nobody has a good time, and love isn’t exactly what the campaign officials are feeling for one another.

It’s not that fundraising campaigns aren’t the answer to financial need. In the end, where else is a non-profit organization to turn than to generous givers? The problem is that, unlike Mickey’s and Judy’s show, the current campaign isn’t the first or the only one the organization will put on. It has to fit into the context of an overall development plan.

Today’s campaign, follows yesterday’s, and precedes tomorrow’s. The trick is to make sure that each and every one of an organization’s campaigns is successful. That’s the job of a general development plan.

The general development plan identifies how and from what sources an organization will acquire and maximize contributed income. It communicates that information to the organization’s staff, volunteers and supporters. Specific fundraising campaigns are then planned and carried out in accord with the general development plan.

The leadership of the organization, in concert with the development department, prioritize financial needs and agree to common fundraising goals. Within the context of the general development plan, they create an environment for achieving those goals and for planning, initiating, and producing annual, endowment, capital, sponsorship, and underwriting campaigns. Each type of campaign has key issues and components that an organization must understand when it considers implementing any one of them as a contributed income program.

In summary: All fundraising campaigns must work from within a General Development Plan … a plan that comes from the initiatives (and their costs), as stated and directed by your organization’s Strategic/Long-Range Plan.

Any fundraising campaign that is not in accord with the General Development Plan may make its goal, but it may also impede or damage other fundraising efforts … and relationships with donors.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

CFC Special Events & Resources

There are many/various types of CFC special events that are held before and during the solicitation period of a CFC campaign. The best known are the CFC charity fairs, but other special events and resources that a CFC charity should be aware of are:

• Speaker’s Bureaus
• Loaned Executives
• Open Houses for CFC Campaign Staff
• Kickoff Events
• Charity Fairs

In a given region, the contractor that has the campaign management responsibility is called the PCFO, or Principal Combined Fund Organization. Fund is in their names because after the campaign is over, the PCFOs have the fiduciary responsibility of getting the CFC funds to the correct CFC charity.

Speaker’s Bureaus
During the campaign period, many PCFOs establish “Speaker’s Bureaus” where the volunteer CFC campaign staff of Federal agencies that are looking for excellent speakers from non-profits to be part of their CFC kickoff ceremonies. Non-profits who have the capacity, and the spokesperson should be good can sign up with the speaker bureaus, and as requests come in they will make try and match non-profits and Federal agencies. The exact process varies in every CFC region, so you need to contact the PCFO for your region and ask if they have a CFC speaker’s bureau, and how to sign up.

Loaned Executives (L.E.)
Loaned executives are Federal employees who are detailed to the PCFO for the CFC campaign period. They are often people who were active in their agency’s CFC campaign, perhaps having been a campaign manager, the communications chairperson, or a charity fair organizer. Depending upon the size of an agency, they may have one or more assigned to assist that agency with its CFC campaign, or for smaller agencies, an L.E. may have multiple agencies that he or she is providing CFC consulting services for. There are often L.E. team meetings, and some PCFOs invite a small number of CFC charities to attend the team meeting to let the L.E.s know about the mission of their particular CFC charity.

Open Houses for CFC Campaign Staff
As part of the L.E. training, it is sometimes better to visit the CFC charity to see firsthand what they do. If yours is such a charity, let the PCFO know that you would be open to having CFC campaign volunteers visit so that you can show the L.E.s and other CFC campaign staff what you do. CFC campaign staff cannot recommend a particular CFC charity over any other charity, but it helps them better understand the non-profit environment and how a charity is pursuing its mission.

Kickoff Events
Kickoff events are held at the beginning of a CFC campaign, and the Agency Head is usually one of the keynote speakers. There are usually one or two speakers from CFC charities as well. If your senior leadership is good at, and interested in public speaking, these can be good opportunities. Kickoff events often invite a small number of CFC charities as well, but since space is limited, four to six non-profits is a pretty typical number.

Charity Fairs
Charity Fairs are typically mid-campaign events, and depending upon a given agency’s conference room or cafeteria facilities, from ten to thirty CFC charities or CFC Federations will be invited.

How to Enroll for Special Events
The PCFO is the point of contact for all the special events, also contact the Loaned Executives to find out what agencies they are helping and make contact with the ones that are a good fit for your non-profit. For example, if your non-profit deals with issues facing veterans, the Veterans Administration LE would be a good fit.

What’s next?
In my September 26th post I will discuss the most effective ways to benefit from your non-profit’s participation in the CFC.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
We take a break, here, for the Labor Day Weekend,
and we’ll resume our twice-per-week posting schedule
on Tuesday, September 3rd.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

In July, I explained why bequests are the most popular planned gift. See the Planned Giving Series.

This month I’m going into detail on why most bequest donors decide not to tell you that your charity is in their will. I’ve seen estimates that between two-out-of-three and seven-out-of-eight donors will keep their charitable bequests to themselves.

What is this majority thinking?

Don’t ask me for more. Happy to have included you in their will, your donor doesn’t want you to ask them for more. That’s a reasonable concern. Fundraisers are trained to evaluate giving history to decide whom to cultivate and solicit for future gifts.

It’s too personal. Their will is private, even from those included in it. Not that I talk about wills at every party I go to, but it sometimes comes up. At one cocktail reception, I met a woman who had seven friends in her will and would not tell any of them. She wanted to keep up the surprises and she didn’t want her friendships impinged by her generosity.

I can’t change my mind. We can change our wills at anytime. The donor who refuses to share your part in their will may feel they lose the option to change their mind if they tell you about it. They don’t, but they feel they do. Revealing their intention imposes a moral obligation to follow through, they believe. Talk about donor loyalty!

I don’t want recognition. This donor doesn’t want you to list them in your recognition society or annual report. They don’t want you to ask them to sign a testimonial letter or email. (These are great marketing channels, by the way.)

Understanding your donor’s reasons for not revealing their gift, target your messages to overcome these concerns…

When asking people to share their bequest intentions, assure them that:
•  they can opt out of communications from you, about giving or otherwise;
•  knowing about their gift helps you make plans;
•  they can change their mind anytime; and,
•  anonymity is possible and privacy will be respected

There will always be folks who will not share their plans with you. The best you can do is use your messaging to make it less likely.

I want to devote next month to IRA giving. There’s an opportunity that ends on December 31 and I want to help you prepare your 4th quarter messaging. Then I’ll come back to bequests in October. They’re important, and there’s a lot more to say.

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Tony Martignetti, Esq. is the host of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. He’s a Planned Giving consultant, speaker, author, blogger and stand-up comic. You’ll find him at TonyMartignetti.com.
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap 🙂
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