How to Talk to Your Board About Legacy Giving
How to Talk to Your Board About Legacy Giving
Breaking Down Your Board
There are many different things to consider when speaking with your board about legacy giving. One such way is breaking down your board into different segments.
Financial Security
There are the board members that are interested in the financial security of the organization. For these board members, you would want to highlight how fiscally responsible it is to bring in legacy gifts for the future as another source of revenue to support the organization moving forward. In essence, you are framing the conversation in a way that they can understand. You are talking about the return on investment for legacy giving. When you know a particular board member is all about the numbers, show these lay leaders that legacy giving is an investment that secures a future of the organization.
Connection and Value
Another one includes the board members that are really connected to and value the program. This is a passion project for them. They love this organization for the programming, for what it's done for them or their family or their community. This is what really drives them on the board. You can talk with them about the values and how people can support the organization for the future through a legacy donation. Try to demonstrate how this aligns with the organization’s values and the programming and how the organization affects the community.
Keeping it Simple
You also have the board members that just want to keep it simple. So make it easy for them! Show them how easy it is to be involved in legacy giving, and do the heavy lifting for them - give them a declaration of intent to sign, provide them the information that they need, or give them the list of donors or other board members they should call to talk about a gift. Then you have a better chance of them actually being involved.
Engagement
Then there are the ones that want to be involved. They want to see your declaration of intent. They would like to be part of crafting your case statement. They want to see the list of all the donors and help you create different categories or solicitation lists for different people. Structure your conversation with them a little differently -- get them involved, and get their feedback. Have them look at your marketing materials. Give them a task that makes them feel involved and part of the program.
When first starting out, have conversations with your board members to find out how they want to be involved, what they are passionate about and what they envision for the future. If you have spoken with your board members, where do they fall in these categories?