Imagine This…

Did you have a grandmother or elderly aunt, uncle or friend?  I did.

Imagine if I sent mine letters and emails every once in a while. Imagine that those letters and emails told her how great I was. Imagine them also telling her that I really needed money for my future. Imagine them telling her that she should give me money.

Also imagine if my letters and emails told her how she should have left me money in her will because, if she didn’t do that… the IRS would get it.

Furthermore, imagine that each of my letters involved complicated legal tactics for giving me money along with confusing legal jargon.

Oh, and imagine if all of these letters and emails were written with lots and lots of words that were boring, confusing and small (8 pt font or smaller).

Does this sound like what your organization is doing?

If so, I’m here to tell you that it’s not nice and it’s not fair. It may work some of the time. But if you really want to encourage legacy giving to support your mission, stop doing it! Instead, start engaging and involving your supporters with valuable offers that help them realize their goals and feel like they had a meaningful life with impact that will benefit others forever.

 

Related Posts:

>>Stop Spamming Your Supporters With Planned Giving E Newsletters
>>3 Questions to Ask Before You Spam Spray and Pray
 

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William Skaggs
William Skaggs
4 years ago

I really like the succinct and personal way you’ve framed this issue. It’s a problem in the sector. That doesn’t mean someone else or another organization. It mean me too. All of us have done this to some extent, and you know what? As long as we learn and evolve from it, that’s okay.

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