Library of Articles

These are articles on planned giving and major gifts I have written. Most concern marketing with an emphasis on starting or beefing up a marketing program. All but the last two articles appeared initially (and are still on) CharityChannel. When you click on the link for the article, you will be asked to register, so don't be alarmed!

The last two articles originally appeared on Big Online USA, but I don't think the articles are there now. If you click on the links for these articles, you'll download a pdf file of the articles.

If You're Not Doing Planned Giving…You're Probably Leaving Money on The Table
If you're not doing planned giving, YOUR donors are undoubtedly making planned gifts to other organizations. This article explains why.

Are You Ready To Start A Planned Giving Program ?? -- A Short Quiz !!
Take this quiz to determine your organization's overall readiness to start a planned giving program.

How To Start (or Beef UP) Your Planned Giving Program, With (Almost) No Budget -- Part I
If you've decided that you don't want to be “leaving money on the table,” read this article to see how to develop a low-cost, but very effective marketing program for planned giving.

How To Start (or Beef UP) Your Planned Giving Program, With (Almost) No Budget -- Part II
Part II shows you how to get the resources you need to implement a planned giving program -- and gain important credibility at the same time.

Why Bequests Should Be a Key Focus of Your Planned Giving Program
This article addresses the question, "Why should planned giving marketing focus on bequests?"

Additions To Your Planned Giving Marketing Program: Gifts of Stock
The focus of this article is on adding gifts of stock (appreciated securities) to your planned giving marketing to make it more effective, and increase gift potential.

Additions to Your Planned Giving Marketing Program: Life Insurance Beneficiary Designations
We're going to look at what "products" you can add to your planned giving marketing effort beyond bequests and appreciated securities. This article focuses on how you can ask people to name your organization as beneficiary of their life insurance policies.

Additions To Your Planned Giving Marketing Program: Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designations
Let's look at another "product" you can add to your planned giving marketing program: Asking your donors to name your organization as a beneficiary of their retirement plans.

Additions To Your Planned Giving Marketing Program: The Bequest Society -- Part I
Once you've got a basic planned giving marketing program up and running, it's easy to add a Bequest Society to your "product mix." This is the first of 2 articles on this important topic. Read on to find out how.

Additions To Your Planned Giving Marketing Program: The Bequest Society -- Part II
In the last article, we started to look at bequest societies and how important they can be in your planned giving program. In this article, we'll address four more topics related to establishing bequest societies: Perks, Stewardship Activities, creating a Marketing Program, and why you should Never Stop.

First, Know What You Do (Part I)…Getting Funded Is Easier When You Can Communicate Your Scope
This article explains how to construct a clear, succinct and compelling presentation about your organization's scope. Why? If you're not telling donors clearly what your organization does, your fundraising may suffer.

First, Know What You Do (Part II)…Getting Funded Is Easier When You Can Communicate Your Scope
This article explains how to use the presentation (see Part I above) when meeting with prospects.