When Should You Launch a Legacy Giving Program?

When should you launch a planned giving program?

There are many reasons to factor in.

If you work in a nonprofit organization I bet you have some responsibility to raise funds or work with donors.  It may not be readily apparent (it’s not in your title) but if you have any contact with donors you are in the revenue generating business.  It is the only way for the organization to function.  If there were no revenue coming in, you wouldn’t be able to do the incredible work you do. 

In the initial start up stage of an organization it is common to be supported by a few foundation grants and some individual seed funders – that is fantastic!  It got a wonderful idea or program off the ground.  You start gaining momentum.  Perhaps the funding is sufficient for the first few years.  And then, your organization is doing so well it needs to grow – either the facilities, staff, technology, geographically… you name it.  Where is this funding coming from?  If you don’t know, and haven’t started to work on it, you will be stuck. 

Because what go you here will not get you THERE.

We know that a financially strong organization should capture both annual gifts and legacy gifts (or, planned gifts).  They both contribute to the stability of the organization in different ways and provide opportunities for donors to give in different ways.

You need a stable and consistent annual campaign.  Absolutely.  But did you know as you build a donor base, those same annual donors will give you legacy gifts one day?  So, if you are still building your annual campaign, let’s talk about ways to start to incorporate legacy giving into your development program and culture of giving so that when it comes time to promote legacy giving it is a very easy ask.

Want to know all the ways? Click here to read the full article I wrote on as a guest article for Alesha Mathis, nonprofit consultant to small and mid-size new organizations.