Turning Obstacles into Golden Opportunities

Most planned giving professionals frequently face obstacles in pursuit of their goals. For instance, a long-time donor may fail to properly execute his or her will before death; family members may dispute a donor’s charitable bequest; a loyal donor may suddenly stop supporting your organization, and so on.

While obstacles may not always present quick and easy solutions, they do provide ample learning opportunities. In the above example, for instance, if someone promised a legacy gift to your organization and then failed to properly execute his or her will, you might decide to educate future donors on the importance of this issue through your marketing communications and by providing sample bequest language in your written materials. That decision may positively impact hundreds of donors yet to come. If your organization has encountered a family dispute over a charitable gift, you may begin urging all potential donors to communicate their charitable wishes with family members and thereby avoid unnecessary hurt and confusion down the road. If a donor is no longer supporting your organization, you can increase your efforts to find out why. In doing so, you may discover ways to dramatically improve your stewardship program.

Each obstacle presents an opportunity for further exploration—and those explorations can point the way toward future accomplishments. Ask yourself the following:

      •     What might your organization do differently when facing a hurdle?

      •     How can you proactively assist donors in making informed charitable
            decisions?

      •     What changes can you implement to better retain and steward your
            donors?

Remember, an obstacle is not a permanent roadblock. It’s an opportunity to create new paths and adopt alternative routes to reach your ultimate destination. What results is greater planned giving success for your organization. When facing obstacles in your planned giving program, you also don’t have to go it alone. For innovative planned giving marketing solutions, contact Pentera and let us help you achieve your goals.