Advancing gift planning efforts should deliver the largest fiscal impact of any of current fundraising programs. With only 3% held in cash or equivalent, most of American wealth is held in equities, retirement plans, real estate and business interests. In fact, most Americans have limited disposable income, yet they retain significant estate wealth.

 

 

 

 

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Inviting your donors to give through their assets ensures much larger and more meaningful gifts that are truly transformational—for both your organization and your donors. In fact, it is widely accepted that the largest gift a nonprofit will ever realize will be from a planned gift.

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We are on the cusp of the largest transfer of wealth the world has ever known. If your organization is not actively inviting and stewarding your donors to make a planned gift, be assured that someone else is. Each day, over 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65, and this will continue for the next 25 years. The assets held by these Baby Boomer donors far exceed the generations to follow by 50%. Inviting your dedicated donors and supporters in this demographic to give through their estate plans is imperative to your organization’s long-term fiscal stability. By securing bequests and other planned gifts now, your organization will begin realizing substantial gifts within 5 to 10 years. The average bequest in the U.S. is between $35,000 and $70,000. The greater your bequest reservoir grows, the steadier your income flow becomes in less than a decade.

 

What’s more, planned gifts do not only encompass bequests, though bequest giving makes up the vast majority of them. Gift planning also includes current gifts of assets, such as gifts of stock, IRA distributions, Donor Advised Funds and other non-cash assets.  Gifts of real property, business interest and other non-cash assets can also be given.  These gifts can also be given in exchange for income to the donor in the form of Charitable Gift Annuities, and Charitable Remainder Trusts.  Current gifts of assets can significantly boost your organization’s bottom line in the short term. Furthermore, annual giving actually increases with a robust planned giving program in place.

 

Gift planning includes three tracks – current gifts of assets; deferred gifts of assets, namely through bequests, beneficiary designation gifts or complex estate gifts; or blended gifts, which include both current and future gifts.  When organizations consider where to invest their efforts, many simply choose current gifts of cash because operating capital is a daily necessity.  However, if a robust gift planning program is in place, the return on investment offers something well beyond any ROI of current cash gifts. It’s crucial that your organization get into the gift planning space and do it well.

 

We invite you to learn how we can help implement or revitalize your Planned Giving program today!