Planned gifts have often been thought of as the private purview of credentialed development, legal, and financial professionals. With terms like “present value methodology,” “four-tier system of taxation,” and “current IRS-mandated discount rate,” it’s no wonder why many of us feel this way and hesitate to enter into discussions about planned gifts. Studies and talks with donors, however, remind us that the tax benefits of making planned gifts are not the primary reason they are made. Donors want to make a difference in the world they live in, both now and in the future. Conversations about planned gifts are easy if you understand human nature and understand the basics of carrying on a conversation. Throw out the law school admissions form on your desk and learn to talk with donors about their dreams and wishes for your organization with ease! Presentation conceived, researched, written and delivered by Katherine Swank, J.D., October 2013.

1. How to Start the Planned Giving Conversation
without Choking!

2. Your Presenter
Katherine Swank, J.D.
Senior Consultant
 Author and Frequent Presenter on Planned
Giving, Prospect Research and Industry
Topics
 Member, State Bar of Arizona; Drake
University Law School
 20+ years development professional
•
•
National healthcare, public broadcasting, law
school
National Director of Planned Gifts $300M
healthcare organization
 12 years as affiliate faculty for Regis
University’s Masters in Global Nonprofit
Leadership program
Target Analytics, a Blackbaud
Company

3. Our Agenda
Focus for Success
The Secret to Understanding Planned Giving
A Prescription for the Magic Pill
The Recipe for Success
Setting Activity and Outreach Expectations
Planning the Conversation
Asking for Planned Gifts
When You Need Help
Q&A

4. Focus, Focus, Focus
 Many people agree that their largest gift to charity
would be through their estate plan
Facts about Bequests
United States
% of Planned Gifts are Bequests
90%
% of population that has a will
40% - 50%
% that have included a bequest to charity
7% - 8%
% that say they will consider doing so
10% -14%
Average Bequest Gift
$35,000 - $70,000

5. Future Opportunities
 When it comes to high net worth households, well
over half say they have already made a planned gift
Currently Have
Would Consider Within 3 Years
55.9
Will with Charitable Provision
CRT or CLT
CGA
17.3
8.4
20.9
17.2
37

7. You Don’t Have to be a ‘Know-it-all’
The most successful planned gift
fundraisers are People-People

8. The
Secret
Do you
want to
know the
secret?

9. • An expert on the topic
• An advocate for the gift
vehicle, not a solicitor
• A like-minded friend
to others who also
make and consider
planned gifts
• A living example
• A resource
Planned gifts that you can
make with little or no cost:
When you make your own
legacy gift you become:
Make Your Own Gift First
• Bequest or codicil –
when making or
updating your will add
your charitable gifts
• Beneficiary
designation for
• Retirement account
• Life insurance
• Bank accounts

10. The Magic Pill
Are you looking
for the magic
pill?

11. Close Your Door

12. The
Recipe for
Success
Do you want
the recipe for
success?

13. Talk to People

14. They’re Waiting to Meet You

16. Set Reasonable Activity Goals
 Best practices for prospect contact
% Time for PG Activities
Priority Activities
# Avg. Contacts/Mo.
Personal visits
6-10
6-10
Telephone Conversations
11-15
Personal Letters
11-15
Personal visits
6-10
Telephone Conversations
16-20
Personal Letters
50% or More
6-10
Personal visits
25% - 50%
Telephone Conversations
Personal Letters
25% or Less
1-5
11-15
* Planned Gift Officers Survey, Partners for Philanthropic Planning

17. Know How to Reach Your Goals
If your conversion rate from call attempts to completed calls is 5:1
You will need
to attempt
1,200 calls per
year
That’s equal
to 23 calls
per week
Or 5 calls
every day
If your conversion rate from completed calls to
appointment is 4:1
You will need
to talk to 240
people a year
to get 60
appointments
Example Goal: 20 confirmed bequest intentions
this year through personal contact
You will need to meet with a
minimum of 60 prospects
per year
Set aside a minimum of 1 hour per
day to make prospect/donor calls
5 per month x 12
months

18. #1 Priority
 Close your door or reserve a meeting
room
 Post a friendly note or door tag so
that others will not disturb you
 Schedule phone-calling time as a
meeting on your daily work calendar
 Choose differing times during the
week
 Early morning, early afternoon, late
afternoon, evening hours 2-3 nights a month
 Consider using an outline to get the
conversation started
 Read the Blackbaud white paper: How to Talk
with Donors about Planned Gifts
Purchase these door tags at
www.askingmatters.com/store

19. Plan, Track & Report
MON
• 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. - Call people that have bequest intentions
• Say “thank you”; fill them in on recent accomplishments
TUES
• 11:00 – Noon - Call Board/Committee members; Volunteers
• “Was just thinking of your generosity and service to this organization and wanted
to say Thank You.” Seek a 30-minute appointment to better understand their
involvement
WED
• 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. - Call people who have responded to marketing mailing or
publication
• Seek a 30-minute appointment related to their request
• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Call planned gift prospects
• Say “thank you” for their loyalty or for attending an event or for…… (fill-in-theblank). Seek a 30-minute appointment to fill them in on recent accomplishments
THURS
and better understand their involvement

20. Offer an Inviting Environment
THIS
NOT THIS

21. Our neighbors’
friend parked his
tiger in the hallway
It’s Never Too Late
Then and Now
Nostalgia Tour 2013
1985
2013
October 22, 2013
Stammer, Stutter, Pause by K Swank
My first
apartment
without
roommates!
21

23. Have a Conversation Plan
“I’m calling to thank you…”
“We’re reaching out….”
“Your opinion – your thoughts –
your input…”
“We met at the …….”
“Would you be available
to meet with me for
lunch next week?”
“the president
suggested i call you…”

24. Use Language that Works!
“I’m new to Drake University Law School. . .
hope to meet as many loyal donors as is possible
in the next few weeks. . . The Dean has
suggested that you would be a very important
person for me to meet. . . I’m hopeful that you
might have 30 minutes in the next two weeks to
meet me for breakfast, lunch, or another
convenient time.”

25. Overcome Objections
Can’t give you a gift right now
“I am not coming to ask you
for a gift. I would like to
introduce myself and learn
about your association with
us and update you. . . I don’t
feel it would be proper to
ask you for anything at this
visit.”
“I can assure you that I
will keep my promise
and not ask for nor
accept any gift at this
time.”

26. Overcome Objections
Can’t meet with you now
“I understand that you’re busy and I appreciate your honesty .
. . We’re taking time to talk to as many people as possible . . .
Would you be able to schedule lunch or a quick meeting at the
end of the month?”

27. Reach Out; Get Out
• Usually informal
• Meet at a neutral setting
like a restaurant or a café
• Unless there is a reason
to invite them to your
offices
First date
• Learn why the prospect
is involved
• Explore his/her interest
in programmatic areas
• Explore his/her interest
in the community
Objective

28. You’re Special

29. Listen More Than You Speak
Use a series of open-ended questions
What first brought your attention to the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society?
Are you receiving any of our publications?
• Did you see the last issue?
• What article or story was most interesting or most hopeful to you?
What do you think we do best?
• Is there any area of the organization where you could see yourself
becoming more involved?

30. Talk about Giving Decisions
Keep the conversation
going…
How did you come to
include The American Heart
Association in your
charitable giving?
Are there other
organizations that are
important to you as well?
What is the single most
important reason you
continue to contribute to us?

31. Watch the
Webinar by Dr.
James
Russell, J.D., Ph.
D., CFP®
Professor, Texas
Tech University
Research on brain
activity when
fundraising
prospects are
solicited for
traditional gifts
vs. planned gifts

32. Keep the Relationship Going
Always take the
opportunity to set
another meeting
Create events
that allow your
prospects to
meet
others, meet
leaders, see you
again
Have a calendar
of other
organizational
activities and
events

33. Things to Think About for Meetings
Be creative and
appropriate
If others are
involved, meet
alone before you
part
• Meet back at the café
• Meet with an expert
• See something in action
• Go to your office
• Sit in a quiet area of the lobby
• Escort your guest down the
elevator; to the front door; to the
parking lot, etc.

34. People Give to People
• You have a large qualified pool of planned giving
prospects
• Your ability to build
relationships and solicit the
appropriate planned gift with
these constituents is the key
factor in realizing as much
of this potential as
possible

35. The Payoff is Mission Funding
Prospect
Pool
Average
Gift
Amount
Total
Potential
2% of
Total
Potential
25% to 50%
of your
database
$50,000
$250,000,000
$5,000,000
5,000 for example
NOTE: Does not represent any assumed period of time
100 People

37. Focus on Your Best Prospects
 Segment
 Analytic modeling
 Organizational profile
 Target market
 By gift type
 Don’t blanket market
multiple vehicles
 Dilutes your message
 Confuses your audience

38. Be Inclusive with Marketing
Individuals that have
already notified you of
a planned, deferred or
legacy gift
All board and
committee members;
professional-level staff
members and
employees of 10 years
or longer
Those who are deemed
likely to make a
planned gift to your
organization
Donors of
stocks, securities and
mutual fund shares no
matter the amount of
the gift
Volunteers
All donors who have
made single-year gifts
of $10,000 or more
Donors who have made gifts at any level
for 10 or more years or have given your
organization 25 or more gifts including
recurring/monthly gifts
Add your own here!

39. Start by Marketing Simple Gifts
Bequests
Easy to understand
Easy to talk about
Most Common Forms
Specific gift amount
% of estate
% of remainder after all
specific gifts have been made
Account for 9 out of every 10 planned gifts made
Create simple donor
stories
Share your own gift
Ask others to join you

40. Add Other Gifts as Appropriate
Charitable Gift Annuities
5%-6% of all planned gifts
Range from $5,000 to over
$1,000,000
Best Annuity Prospect
Existing
annuitants
They know the
organization
They know you
They are comfortable
with the process and
your stewardship
Marketing tactics
Personalized
examples
Impact of annuity
proceeds
Use visuals that evoke
emotion

41. Marketing techniques that work
In-person
visit
Written
materials
A financial
seminar
85% of respondents
to a survey about
charitable gift
annuities said they
were introduced to
the giving vehicles
one of three ways

42. Don’t be Tempted to Follow that Sexy Blonde
• Other Gift Vehicles
- Including charitable trusts
• Fewer than 2 of every 100 gifts
• Highly technical gifts very difficult to market
- Most high net worth households that have made CRTs learned
about the vehicle from their financial advisor
- Fewer and fewer prospects are seeking information from charities
on this gift type
• Discuss only with highly qualified prospects

43. High-Volume Marketing
The #1 goal of
planned gift
marketing is to
get a face-toface
appointment
with an
interested
prospect
• Planned gift marketing is
the smallest part of your
overall planned giving
program
• Successful planned giving
programs are proactive and
seek to build relationships
with top prospects
• Anyone can start the
planned giving conversation
and is a lead generator

44. Contact Conversion Rates
 Face-to-face visits are by far the most effective
way to close planned gifts
Activity
% of Contacts to
Gifts
Personal visits (face to face)
30%
Personal Telephone Conversations
20%
Mail/Phone contact by a vendor service
Mass Mail Marketing (newsletters, postcards, etc.)
5% - 10%
< 1%

45. Marketing Ideas that Work
Create a marketing
plan that works for
you!
• Find your best
combinations of
marketing activities
that produce results
Targeted Marketing
• Market simple
planned gifts to the
right prospects
• Keep the message
simple
• Use single subject
brochures
For all marketing
pieces
• Use few words to
market a big
concept
• Highlight the giving
concept, and not its
technical operation
Do not rely on what
others do
• What works for one
organization may
not work for yours
• Test, revise and
retest
• Be patient

46. Marketing: Start by Learning
Be your own
example
Get on other
organization’s
marketing lists
Watch your own reaction
to their cultivation and
solicitation of you
If you felt motivation to
respond, determine the
element of the piece that
moved you
Consider how can
you use this lesson
when talking to
prospects
Determine why
you reacted the
way you did

47. Donor Stories
 Are among the most
effective marketing
tactics for garnering
planned gift leads
 Focus on your
message
 Create interest and
appeal
 Tell simple
stories, capture hearts
 Make it personal
More examples can be found at
www.leavealegacy.org

48. Simple Messages Work
 It’s about why the legacy was
made
 Not how the gift was made
 Nor the amount of the gift
 Look for known prospects
with confirmed planned gift
intentions:
 Consider gathering stories from
surviving family members of a
bequest-giver whose gift is already
at work
 Find planned gift donors that are
thrilled to have created something
special

49. Give the Donor a Reason to Notify
• Most donors don’t even realize that you would like
to be informed, or why it is important to tell
“If you have made an estate provision for the Gardens, or a planned or
deferred gift, please let us know so we can welcome you into the
Perennial Friends Society and make sure your gift intentions are
properly carried out.”

51. Asking for Planned Gifts
Prepare for the ask; be confident and review your steps
• Targeted likely prospects with information about specific
gift types
• Your prospect has responded favorably to the information
• You know mission components of most interest her or him
• You have told the story of your own planned gift
• You have shared information about the levels of funding
that are needed to support her or his areas of interest
• Where appropriate, involved leadership and key players

52. When it’s Time to Make the Ask
 The simplest ask is to prospects who you expect to
make gifts of less than $100,000
 Can be informal or formal
 “As you plan for the future, would you consider
making a legacy gift to Planned Parenthood? A gift
of $70,000 or higher will make the impact you are
interested in. We would expect a gift of that size to
affect the lives of thousands.”
 “In addition to your ongoing annual support, would
you join me as a Legacy Society member? Our
average bequest gift is usually between $15,000 and
$30,000. Are you in a position to consider a gift of
that amount?”
 “If it would be helpful, I can provide you with
sample gift language for your review and
consideration.”

53. When it’s Time to Make the Ask
 Larger planned gift asks are often formal
 Use a simple proposal:

•
Case statement on the importance of planned gifts to your
organization
 Formal ask letter and ask amount
 Representative donor legacy story or description of the expected
impact of the future gift
 Short list of the gift restriction language that you
prefer, to your your desire for unrestricted gifts
“In additionincludingongoing annual support, I’d like to ask you consider joining
me as a Legacy Society member. Your desire to see a steady increase in our
services can be met with a legacy gift at the $200,000 level or higher. I’ve gathered
some information that I think you will find useful and I ask you to read and
consider our proposal.”
•
“If you don’t mind, I’ll follow up with you at the end of the week. If you have any
additional questions or would like more information before then please contact
me.”

54. Getting Help
Reach out to your colleagues
Network at this meeting 
• Look to your Board for expertise
• Development committee
• National office, for affiliated
organizations
• Ask for referrals of local advisors
• Find a mentor
Read articles and books on
planned giving vehicles
• Marketing and Qualifying Leads
• Getting face-to-face with prospects
• Simple planned gift topics
Get out and meet with your
prospects and donors
• The more you do
• The more you know

55. Summary
Make your own planned gift commitment
Plan success by making outreach your #1 responsibility
Promote planned gift vehicles that are right for your office and staffing
levels
Focus your efforts on the right prospects
Keep marketing simple
Get out and date!
Open-ended questions – enjoy your time with people
Ask for the commitment

56. Contact Information
Thank You!
Katherine Swank, J.D.
Proud Graduate of Drake Law School, Class of ‘85
843-670-7278 (Mountain Time Zone)
katherine.swank@blackbaud.com
Twitter: @KatherineSwank
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineswank