Are You and Your Donors Speaking the Same Language?

Are You and Your Donors Speaking the Same Language?  

In the planned giving field - like any specialized endeavor - there is often a lot of insider jargon. For internal communications, such lingo saves time because the meaning is commonly understood. But while certain words and phrases may be taken for granted in your planned giving office, they don’t necessarily make any sense to your donors. And donors are the ones you need to reach. 

For example, a CRAT or a CRUT may be a familiar abbreviation to an estate-planning attorney or your director of planned giving. To the average person, though, these letters probably hold no meaning.  Even with the full use of such words (charitable remainder annuity trust and charitable remainder unitrust) there is no guarantee that, on their own, your donors will understand these technical terms. Yet conveying planned giving information is vitally important for obtaining charitable gifts. 

How can you solve this conundrum? When meeting with potential donors, hosting donor events, and communicating via print or Web-based marketing materials, it’s helpful to clarify complicated words that may not be generally recognized. Some language usage will depend upon your donors’ backgrounds. If your donors are investment bankers and stockholders, they already know certain financial terms. With most donors, however, your marketing materials and other communications should not necessarily assume such knowledge.   

For instance, maybe your donors have not heard the phrase “testamentary gift.” Perhaps your donors are not acquainted with the words “deferred gift annuity” or “irrevocable trust.” While these words are significant to planned giving professionals, they likely need further clarification in your marketing materials.  However, keep in mind that once a reader has become interested in a gift vehicle as a result of your marketing materials, he or she needs to be able to find that term when going to your planned giving Web site to research more about it.  So if you are calling a charitable gift annuity a charitable gift annuity in a postcard or newsletter, that very term needs to be easy to find from the homepage.  Remember, not every visitor to your Web site is a planned giving novice. 

Part of our role at Pentera is to make your job easier. As such, our marketing materials both educate your donors and communicate in a language that can be easily understood. Complicated language, even with a sophisticated audience, is not always better. At Pentera, we ensure that your donors are made aware of the various charitable gift-giving vehicles - and tax benefits that accompany them - in a way that everyone can appreciate. We find that clear and precise communication leads to better results - and we are happy to assist you in these efforts! 

If you are looking for intelligently written, yet easy-to-understand marketing materials for your marketing communications, look no further. Contact us by visiting www.pentera.com, e-mail us at info@pentera.com, or call us at 317.875.0910, ext. 251.