Tips for Bequest Prospecting With Direct Mail

* 75 years and older. Here the importance is drafting a final will. The goal of the messaging is to get prospects to consider what they want their final legacy to be, what they want to leave behind that will live on beyond them.

The Nature Conservancy also uses direct mail to get prospects to self-report a future bequest commitment. It’s quick and easy via direct mail, Gill said. Organizations should be motivated to solicit bequest commitments for three reasons:

1) It builds the organization’s legacy society and gives you an opportunity to steward the donor;

2) It helps the organization plan for the future; and

3) It helps gauge the loyalty of your membership.

In conclusion, Gill stressed that drafting a will is a much more involved process than writing a check. But the amount raised with planned gifts is much higher than with membership gifts, so patience is a virtue that will pay off.

Amy Gill can be reached via www.tnc.org