Why Aren’t We All Doing This?

27 Jun Why Aren’t We All Doing This?

27 June 2023

By David Allen, Development for Conservation

If you have remembered _____ Land Trust in your will, please let us know so that we can say Thank You during your lifetime.

This is so easy. It makes a good PS: note. It makes a good line below your email signature. It makes a good banner on your webpages. With a video testimonial, it makes a good social media post. It works on the back side of most appeal response cards.

Why aren’t we all doing this?

For nearly every land trust and conservation organization out there, planned giving is the most important fundraising investment in the long run. Every dollar invested today will pay off in BIG ways down the road.

At the very least it deserves its own web page. The idea shouldn’t be buried on a Get Involved page, right next to Volunteer Your Time. Or a Ways of Giving page. It shouldn’t be an afterthought.

Think about it this way: More people will be looking specifically for planned giving information, on advice from their attorney, than will be inspired to change their will after tripping over the information while looking for something else.

Creating a separate webpage for those people looking is so easy!

Why aren’t we all doing this?

Focus group research suggests that many people can’t relate to the words “Planned Giving” and they feel like Estate Planning is something rich people do – which excludes most people they know.

Perhaps our planned giving menu item should be labeled: “It’s Super Easy to Leave the Conservancy in Your Will! Click Here!”

It’s easy to make these changes to your website.

Why aren’t we all doing this?

August is National Make-A-Will month. Who knew? So a mailing now – in June – to all of your members and donors is likely to be timely. Remind them that its time to make their will or to update the one they already have. Include all the information an attorney might need to name the land trust – specifically your organization’s full legal name and current legal business address. Include a simple form that allows donors to alert the land trust that it has been remembered in their will. (This form should also be easily found and downloaded from your website.)

So you can say thank you during their lifetime.

You’ll be doing an important public service AND planting the idea at the same time. It’s easy!

Why aren’t we all doing this?

When people DO let you know about their end-of-life intentions, you have the opportunity to say thank you in a personal way – and to learn more about THEIR story. Do it! Not surprisingly, their stories are rich and inspiring. They are full of passion about place and land. Get permission to use them (some – not everyone – will allow you to do so) in their words, photos, and even video. If the stories inspire you, they will inspire others as well.

Then you will have more people to thank during their lifetime!

Why aren’t we all doing this?

There is strong correlated evidence that people who have made decisions to leave your land trust in their will, and have taken the step to tell you about it, end up giving more during their lifetime also. (They are also less likely to change their minds later.) Meet with them. Thank them. Include them in a named “Legacy” Circle (or somesuch). It’s not time taken away from annual giving. It’s another opportunity to build your annual giving program from a different direction.

Why aren’t we all doing this?

Building a strong planned giving program is easy. It doesn’t feel like it’s producing right now results, even though it might be. But it’s a long-term investment that might be the most important investment YOU can make in your organization.

And here’s the thing – it doesn’t need to be intimidating. It’s EASY!

Why aren’t we all doing this?

Cheers, and have a great week!

-da

PS: Your comments on these posts are welcomed and warmly requested. If you have not posted a comment before, or if you are using a new email address, please know that there may be a delay in seeing your posted comment. That’s my SPAM defense at work. I approve all comments as soon as I am able during the day.

Photo by Bonnie Moreland courtesy stocksnap.io