As Sharp as a Hawk’s Talons: Bird Sanctuary Lauds Pentera’s Web Site Design

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a 2,500-acre swath of Pennsylvania wilderness that is the world's largest member-supported raptor conservation organization, recently joined Pentera as a print and Web client. Here is what Director of Advancement Craig George had to say about the brand new Pentera-designed Web site.

The 5 Types of Legacy Society Names

Would a donor rather be a member of the Old Main Society or the New Century Society? The Willow Society or the Golden Oaks? Or maybe the Order of the Golden Shillelagh?

House OKs IRA Rollover

House Approves IRA Charitable Rollover, and Senate Expected to Consider Provision in the Fall.

The IRA charitable rollover took a big step toward being reinstituted this week when the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it permanent.

The Top 5 Impact Story Mistakes

An expensive piece of medical equipment helps save a child’s life, and the story includes a quote from a donor who seems almost as grateful as the child’s parents … plus a call for more contributions for other equipment.

Pentera Leads Industry in Understanding the Unique Needs of Women Donors

New statistics reported by The Chronicle of Philanthropy add to the cavalcade of recent research documenting the burgeoning role of women in philanthropy—which makes it more crucial than ever that nonprofit organizations know how to reach women donors. And that means working with experts in the field such as Pentera President & CEO Claudine A. Donikian, JD, MBA.

Don't Miss These 5 Tips to Improve Donor Communications

According to a study by Frank C. Dickerson, Ph.D., emotion and human-interest narratives work better in fundraising communications because of the way in which the brain is hardwired to process language. You can easily test this theory out yourself in other areas, such as news stories that go viral across the nation. These news reports are often compelling because there is a story and human-interest narrative that goes along with the facts that are reported. A weather report is not nearly as interesting until there is a story of personal hardship or a story of a community coming together to overcome a tragedy.

Pentera CEO Claudine Donikian Appointed to Women's Philanthropy Institute Council

Claudine A. Donikian, JD, MBA, President & CEO of Pentera, Inc., has been appointed to the Advisory Council for the prestigious Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University School of Philanthropy.

Webinar offers "Cliff's Notes" on Simple Gift Plans and How to Help Donors with Assets

Pamela Jones Davidson, an attorney and experienced planned giving consultant who has presented nationally, will conduct a Pentera Webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 30, providing a “Cliff’s Notes” version of gift plans.

Planned Giving Pros Flock to Pentera Seminar

A new tax law was passed in January, and planned giving is forever changed. That was the featured message at Pentera’s recent three-day advanced planned giving seminar in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Right Brain or Left Brain Marketing: You Need Both!

According to left-brain, right-brain theories, the right side of the brain excels at creative, emotional, and intuitive responses while the left hemisphere of the brain is well equipped for tasks such as logic and analytical reasoning. An interesting read in this area is the bestselling book, My Stroke of Insight, by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who suffered a massive stroke that disrupted her left-brain circuitry.

Don’t wait—get the word out about the IRA Rollover before it’s too late

The annual uncertainty of the continued existence of the IRA rollover presents an excellent “double whammy” marketing opportunity to use with donors this fall: You’ve got to take your required minimum distribution before the end of the year—and this may be the last year to take advantage of the rollover strategy.

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.

Clever Wording Triples Donations

The way that charities present donation levels can inspire individuals to triple their pledges, according to a recent study by Italian university professors. In the study, two-thirds of participants agreed to a 450-euro contribution, when previously two-thirds had agreed to a donation of only 150 euros. (A euro is currently worth about $1.30.)

The Autobiographical Connection - Why Your Donors' Life Stories Matter

MRI studies show a visible brain response between donor recollections of their life stories and their willingness to engage in charitable bequest giving, according to Russell James III, JD, PhD, professor at Texas Tech University. What does that mean for planned giving professionals? It means that your focus should be donor-centric. In other words, when soliciting a bequest, or other planned gift, you will want to ask about and listen to your donor’s life story rather than simply communicating the needs of your organization.

Crafting Better Donor Thank You Letters

When it comes to writing donor appreciation letters, how can you make your written communications stand apart and get noticed? Think about the mail you receive on a daily basis. Which pieces do you toss away, which pieces do you take a moment to browse through, and which pieces do you set aside to read more carefully at a future date? Likely, your donors are not much different than you in their mail-sorting habits. If something catches their attention, either visually or by way of a topic that sounds engaging, then it has a greater chance of getting read.

Ten Ways to Improve Your Donor Observation and Communication Skills

Planned giving professionals are in the people business. As Amy Herman, J.D., M.A., Art of Perception educator and seminar trainer states, it’s not the financial aspects that lose deals. It’s the miscommunications, tone of voice, and lack of listening during human interactions that cause deals to fall through. Amy enthusiastically spoke last year at the National Conference on Philanthropic Planning. According to her training program, astute observation is critical to better communication and listening skills. Using works of art in the museum setting, she trains people in the art of perception so they can successfully perform their professional responsibilities.

The Real Purpose of Photo Captions

So after photographs and headlines, what do readers typically read most often?

According to reader eye movement research, readers’ eyes next go to captions.

With such high readership, publishing one of your photographs without a caption—or with one that merely describes the action in the picture—is a missed opportunity. The real purpose of a photo caption is to market your mission. Tie the photograph to the organization message, advises the Direct Marketing Association, using the caption to highlight  the “benefits” of whatever product or service is being marketed.

Prepare Today for Tomorrow's Donors

In planned giving, like any field, it's smart to anticipate future trends. One trend that planned giving professionals won't want to miss is the upcoming cohort of Generation Y donors. Marketers are paying attention to this group because it numbers over 70 million. These individuals are currently ages 19-36. They are also described as the Millennial Generation or Echo Boomers. Below are things you need to know to prepare now for Generation Y donors.

Planned Giving Marketing Tip: Slogans Matter

In today’s busy world, an organization needs to communicate—clearly, succinctly and intelligently—what it does and why. While a mission statement is certainly one useful method of communicating the purpose of your nonprofit, a slogan can get that same information out more readily while also achieving your communication goals.

Put Your Planned Giving Marketing to Work

As most planned giving professionals know, one key ingredient for success in any philanthropic endeavor involves proactively visiting donors. You have to put in the time and effort to reach your potential donors. In other words, making the necessary calls and donor visits to get your message out, connect with potential donors, and steward those loyal donors who support your mission. While calls and visits are necessary, marketing is also an essential element for getting the word out to a broader audience about the benefits of planned giving, while also prepping those in your portfolio about giving opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t know about.


Here’s how marketing boosts your efforts—and your results: