Mentioning Tax Deduction Up Front Increases Charitable Interest

When marketing to donors, how much should you focus on the tax benefits of a charitable gift? Some research has indicated that tax benefits are a small part of the charitable gift decision, and some in planned giving have suggested downplaying tax benefits in marketing. But here's the rub: Researchers also know that the answers to their survey questions are often affected by "social desirability bias": Who wants to admit that one of their main reasons for making a gift to charity might be the tax benefits?

More Women Make Tribute Gifts, Which Can Be Inspired by Specific Strategy

Two recent findings about tribute gifts may help with your planned giving marketing strategies with prospective donors:

Giving USA: Philanthropy Sets Record in 2015; Climate for Planned Gifts Looks Good

Philanthropy in America continued its record-setting pace in 2015 - increasing 4% from the year before and averaging more than a billion dollars a day - according to Giving USA™ 2016, the just-released annual study. Bequests, which tend to fluctuate from year to year based on very large gifts, were up 2%, the least of four giving categories. But study authors cited several factors that should help the climate for bequests and other planned gifts.

Study Says Funding Women’s Causes Helps Everyone

A new study of focus group participants who are potential planned giving candidates - the vast majority are highly educated donors who make more than $100,000 per year - finds that they believe the increasingly sophisticated marketing of women's causes is having a positive impact on society at large.

Planned Giving Experts Lead Pentera's August Seminar

An all-star lineup of planned giving experts will lead "Building Bridges Between Major and Planned Gifts," this year's version of the popular Pentera Planned Giving Seminar, Aug. 15-17 in Indianapolis.

Free Webinar by Pentera and Lilly School Presents New Planned Giving Research

A free Webinar on new planned giving research will be presented Tuesday, May 17, by Pentera President & CEO Claudine A. Donikian and Una Osili, director of research at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The Webinar is hosted by the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP).

Identifying Your Donor’s Empathy Type Can Help with Gift Conversations

There are two different kinds of empathy, and identifying the type that is more prevalent in a particular donor can help when it comes to your gift conversations. That's the conclusion of new research presented at a session moderated by Pentera President & CEO Claudine A. Donikian at last year's annual symposium on philanthropy at Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Estate Plans More Likely to Include Planned Gifts

New research findings show that it is more crucial than ever for planned giving professionals to encourage estate planning. According to updated statistics by planned giving researcher Russell James of Texas Tech University, the use of wills is continuing its decline in the United States while the use of funded trusts is up - and most important, those who do have an estate plan are more likely to include a charitable beneficiary.

Wealthiest Women Cite More Reasons to Give; One-Size-Fits-All Marketing Does Not Work

New research shows that the wealthiest women cite more and different reasons for giving to charity but also that high-net-worth women and men are more alike than the general population in their philanthropy. The 2015 study from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University also found that one-size-fits-all fundraising programs are inadvisable for nonprofits.

The In-Home Donor Visit

By Chandra Towers Blatt
Senior Marketing Consultant

When I was a planned giving officer for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), I was often invited by my donors to their homes for lunch. Between bites of Campbell's tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches - and sometimes Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, all common offerings when donors discovered that I was quasi-vegetarian - I learned many things, and you can too.

Experts Russell James and Claudine Donikian Discuss Words That Encourage Planned Giving

On May 28, planned giving researcher Russell James of Texas Tech University and Pentera CEO & Chief Marketing Officer Claudine A. Donikian will present a session on "Words and Phrases That Encourage Planned Giving" at the annual conference of the Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York (PPGGNY). The presentation is based on new research by James and on Donikian's research of Pentera clients and expertise in marketing communications.

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?

New Nonprofit Backs Permanent Charitable IRA Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2015

(Washington, D.C.) A group of national leaders in planned giving and philanthropy have formed the Charitable IRA Initiative, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with the sole purpose of encouraging members of the U.S. Congress and the president to enact permanent legislation enabling owners of IRAs to transfer their IRA assets to American charities. IRA rollovers could be outright gifts up to $100,000 per year or life-income agreements up to $500,000/year. There are no income taxes on IRA charitable rollovers.

Baby Boomers Should Be Split for Planned Giving

Last year the youngest Baby Boomers turned 50 while the oldest Boomers turned 68. Does a 50-year-old really have that much in common with a 68-year-old, especially when it comes to planned giving? It behooves planned gift fundraisers to take a different approach than lumping all the Boomers together - a different approach pioneered by Pentera 15 years ago.

New Study Predicts Growth in Charitable Giving

The nonprofit sector "continues on the road to recovery," with growth in charitable giving of just under 5 percent predicted for both this year and next, according to brand new research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Giving by estates - which makes up the bulk of planned gifts - is expected to do particularly well in 2016.

A Fix for "Lack of Time" Concern

The biggest communications challenge of nonprofits is "lack of time to produce quality content," according to a recent survey of more than 2,000 charities. That quality content largely comes in the form of Web pages, e-mail marketing, and print marketing - all components of Pentera's integrated marketing strategy for planned giving.

New Statistics About Minorities and Planned Gifts

While the vast majority of planned gifts are from the majority group identified as “non-Hispanic whites,” recent research shows strong charitable intent among minorities who do estate planning.

More Wealthy Donors Give, and More Rely on Nonprofits

More wealthy donors than ever are giving to charity, and those donors are relying more and more on nonprofit personnel (including planned giving professionals)—consulting with them more than they do with accountants or attorneys.

Are Your Donor Stories Boring Your Readers to Death?

Storytelling is all the rage in planned giving now, and that has resulted in a proliferation of donor stories that are … sometimes ineffective and even downright boring. They start at the beginning of the donor’s life, describe education, career, family, hobbies, and on and on, taking hundreds of words to get to the point: Why the donor decided to make the planned gift! Sometimes, surprisingly, the gift is never mentioned at all.

Women Philanthropists Urged to Apply “Gender Lens”

Women philanthropists now have the financial clout to fund significant change and should apply a “gender lens” that focuses their giving on women and girls. Those are the conclusions of “ALL IN FOR HER: A CALL TO ACTION,” a new report sponsored by the Women Moving Millions organization.