This course is designed to propel a fundraiser into the area of planned giving. Each session will be up to 1 hour long. The 6 sessions take place over a 6-week period. While it is hoped that participants will attend each session, the webinars will be recorded so that all registered participants can catch up on missed calls. Access to Planned Giving Advisors’ virtual library of various planned giving related documents is included as part of the program as well as other resources provided through the course. The fee per organization is $350 (Up to 10 individuals can be registered for this fee, who can view the webinars together or in separate locations).
1. Introduction to Planned Giving – This session will define what “planned giving” should mean to an average fundraiser, make the case for all nonprofits to ramp up their planned giving efforts, and provide an overview of all of the giving options that will be covered during the entire course.
2. From Static to Dynamic: Transforming Your Planned Giving Programs To Get Results – This session will focus on the steps and approaches needed to implement, launch and/or upgrade your legacy giving program. Planned giving marketing activities are often static and see very little results and/or interactions with actual prospects. We will cover various marketing and promotional ideas, and how to transform them into real and immediate results.
3. Initiating The Legacy Conversation And Getting To The Ask – This session will focus on a core challenge in cross-training fundraisers in planned giving: initiating planned giving conversations and leading these conversations to a completed gift. We will not only discuss several actual case studies but we will ask participants to introduce their own case studies for group discussion and turning your “case for legacy giving” into your legacy giving “elevator-pitch.”
4. Primer on Basic Tax Law and Financial Planning Concepts (FOCUS WILL BE ON THE NEW TAX LAW) – This session is designed to clarify the various tax and financial planning issues that your prospects may expect you to be conversant on during planned giving discussions – a must for fundraisers discussing planned gifts and any complex gift arrangement.
5. Life Income Gifts – This session will delve into the entire area of “life income gifts,” seen by many as the heart of planned giving providing some of the most interesting options for donors to consider. Building upon our initial introduction to planned giving vehicles and tax/financial planning concepts in prior sessions, we will go into depth on the specific options available, the details as to how they work, and start preparing fundraisers to identify ideal circumstances and how to initiate conversations.
6. Bequests and Other Testamentary Gifts – This session will go into depth on what has proven to be the largest source of planned giving revenue by far in the nonprofit sector: bequests and other testamentary gifts. While bequests are often referred to as the most “simple” of planned gifts, there are numerous details and options fundraisers need to be aware of to maximize their effectiveness in this area. Additionally, we will cover non-Will testamentary options like IRAs and other account designations, which are becoming more and more important among baby-boomer prospects.