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Planned Giving Myths & Truths

Top 10 Planned Giving Myths Debunked

  1. Planned giving is not appropriate for a new organization.

  2. Planned giving applies only to older people.

  3. We need money now; we can’t possibly think about planned giving!

  4. I need more technical training before I can even begin to raise the topic of a major planned gift.

  5. Planned giving hurts annual giving.

  6. Only wealthy people are planned giving prospects.

  7. We can’t launch a successful program without an experienced planned giving officer on our staff.

  8. Our organization could never manage to pay a lifetime of checks.

  9. I will suffer eternal mortification if a prospect or donor asks me a tax question I can’t answer.

  10. The tax benefits of a planned gift are the motivation to give.

Top 10 Reasons to Pursue Planned Gifts

  1. Not asking your prospects for planned gifts? Someone else will.

  2. Result? That “someone else” will steal your cash gifts, too… because planned gifts are gifts from the heart.

  3. Planned gifts are good in any economy.

  4. Even if you just dabble in planned giving you’ll earn much more than your peers.

  5. A typical planned gift is 200 to 300 times the size of a donor’s largest annual gift.

  6. Planned gifts do not affect donor’s cash flow. They’re easy to give (and to receive).

  7. Educate. Prospects are eager to make a planned gift but simply don’t know how.

  8. Prospects making bequests increase annual support. Why? Because they’ve chosen you as part of their family.

  9. Anyone can make a planned gift.

  10. It’s easy. It works.

For Your Board
Viken Mikaelian, CEO, PlannedGiving.Com