According to a follow-up article in Forbes, "One of the U.S.'s largest charitable fundraising companies has hastily revamped hundreds of Web pages maintained in the name of individual nonprofits touting gift annuities. The firm has removed questionable references to unlikely high returns and acknowledging that the named person giving a testimonial 'may or may not be an actual donor' to that nonprofit."  MORE »

Writing for PhilanTopic, a blog of opinion and commentary from Philanthropy News Digest, Thaler Pekar, a consultant specializing in persuasive message development, helps smart leaders and their organizations find, develop, and share the stories and organizational narratives that rally critical support.
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In a September 29, 2009 article, Forbes reports that "dozens of charities, including some with brand names, have been soliciting gift annuities over the Web citing unlikely high yields and an endorsement from a fake person who is quoted as saying she is "delighted" with her investment. The questionable plugs for charitable gift annuities, normally considered a legitimate financial product, have been fashioned from material produced by Crescendo Interactive."  MORE »

The retirement of the Baby Boomers is shifting their priorities from accumulation to spending and charitable giving. But many wealth managers remain stubbornly focused on helping clients retain their wealth. In this article, Burlingame, California based wealth manager Sean Stannard-Stockton discusses how the trend of “Giving while living,” is placing the philanthropic advisory role squarely onto the shoulders of wealth managers who may or may not be up to the task.

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Finding new donors and educating donors about the benefits of planned gifts are two of the most important and sometimes most frustrating aspects of our jobs. For decades planned giving professionals have wrestled with various methods of introducing planned gift options to potential donors. Those years have seen gift planners and allied professionals conduct hundreds of planned giving lectures and workshops, whose effectiveness is sometimes dubious, at best. Focus groups are a new and potentially far more effective way both to communicate information about planned gifts and to identify new planned gift donors. This session will examine the reasons for focus group success and the keys to successful focus groups. It will also demonstrate how a focus group operates through an interactive audience engagement exercise.

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Marketing planned giving is more than selling an idea. It is the analysis, planning, implementation, and control of a program designed to create, build and maintain relationships with your target audience for the purpose of securing planned gifts. This session will help you develop your overall strategy, explore internal and external markets, and how to effectively reach those markets. You will clarify your objectives and gain creative ideas for your Planned Giving Program Plan.

 

 

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Gift planners often must present planned giving techniques to development officers, staff, donors, volunteers, boards, and other professionals. Presentation skills are a critical key to success in your planned giving program. This presentation will show how to use some proven techniques to attract your audience, gain their attention, and motivate them with your planned giving presentations.

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Think you know who your planned giving prospects are? You may want to think again! Think the best way to reach your prospects is through newsletters and brochures? You may want to think that one over, too! Focused on the wealthy? Another assumption you may want to reconsider! Hear some surprising facts and insights that could change your thinking about how you identify planned giving prospects and market planned gifts. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to charitable gift planning, you will not want to miss this thought-provoking session about the revolution in planned giving marketing.

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Many times, a donor's professional advisors hold the keys to a major/planned gift. Accordingly, in order to close the gift, a gift planner must obtain approval and consent from the advisor(s). This can be a difficult proposition. This session is designed to equip gift planners with the ability to favorably interact and motivate donors' professional advisors. Common advisor objections to gift plans and examples of what to say to overcome or minimize those objections, and advisors' unique education and perspective to gift proposals will be discussed. Sample seminar presentations that gift planners can give to advisors will be provided. Finally, methods on how a gift planner can market and network with the professional advisor community to increase gifts will be explored.

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Traditional planned giving marketing focuses on gift planning vehicles. As programs move to a donor-centered approach, helping prospects integrate their philanthropy into their overall tax and financial planning, our marketing needs to evolve as well. When this new, donor-centered marketing needs to be applied across a large institution with multiple constituencies or several chapters, the task can seem impossibly daunting. This session will describe a three-tier gift planning pyramid and how gift planning programs can implement a marketing strategy to encompass prospects from all giving levels while also customizing the message to reach a wide range of constituencies.

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