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A Brilliant Stewardship Plan for Legacy Society Donors From Down Under
There’s brilliance down under!
A while back on my LinkedIn Group (Major and Planned Gift Marketers), Sharon Wangman outlined a stewardship plan for Legacy Society donors/members.
Sharon said, “If your donors have included you in the Will you should visit; if you have bequest prospects you should visit. A person can easily take you out of the Will as quickly as they put you in. You need to have a ‘bequest communication plan’ in place.”
Here’s hers:
- 3 complimentary bequest functions a year
- 2 bequest newsletters
- Birthday card, Christmas Card,
- Phone calls
- Visits
She also recommends using an Excel spreadsheet to list all the months of the year and all the activities you will do such as:
- January – call each bequestor to wish them a Happy New Year
- February – post an invite for function in March
- March – host a function
- April – post newsletter
- Etc.
Every organization is different.
Every Legacy Society is unique. So, this plan might not work for you and your nonprofit. But the key is to think of the donor’s notification of their planned gift intentions as the starting point— not the end. Too many fundraisers aim only to get people to say, “You’re in my plan!” Then, as a result of poor stewardship, the donor changes their mind.
Great job Sharon! Thanks for sharing.
Related posts:
>> How to make donors happy to say “yes” to your fundraising appeal
>> New donor welcome kits | Your next gift strategy
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great legacy plan!
Thanks Mike! Sharon is smart!
I can’t agree more. I like to think of fundraising as dating. If, after asking someone to commit to a first date and they “yes”, the relationship is only beginning. The objective is surely to lead to commitment or to a lengthy friendship. The objective was never just to rack up first dates!
Great analogy Katherine. Thanks!
Katherine is dead on regarding the comparison to dating, engagement, and marriage!
This is great. Thank you for your good work. God Bless you.
My pleasure Mbwoge.