Planned Giving

Wall Street investors famously coined the phrase, “It’s all about the Benjamins,” referring to the hundred dollar bill that bears Benjamin Franklin’s likeness. As it turns out, Franklin can give us a few tips about how to maximize fundraising dollars...

Whatever you do, keep it manageable and affordable for yourself. And make sure that the donor is okay with you recognizing them in the ways you promise them you will. Once you create these promises, you can start listing it whenever and wherever you promote the program...

One of the toughest challenges in our sector is getting donors to give time and time again—to get one-time donors to become repeat donors. Perhaps it’s showing donors the impact that the organization is making or having a mission powerful enough for donors to want to be a part of the organization. Perhaps simplifying the…

Giving Tuesday has revolutionized giving days. A movement that started in 2012 by 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, Giving Tuesday aims to “celebrate and encourage giving during a commercially focused season,” Jessie Salpeter, senior digital account executive for Chapman Cubine and Hussey, said during the DMA Nonprofit Federation Conference...

You see, philanthropists are people just like us. They have their own set of dreams and aspirations. They, too, have core values they seek to realize in their lives. And it’s on these that philanthropists have their focus...

There is definitely the tendency in our sector to write off “in-memoriam” donors as one-time donors, yet I think we must understand the emotional connection and make an effort to grow that relationship—with tact and in the gentlest, most-loving way possible...

Last year, I gave you five priorities for success in 2016. I called them “Dive the Five.” This year, I’ve expanded my thinking a bit. I give you “Seven is Heaven.” I promise if you focus on these fundamental areas, you will hear the angels begin to sing and your mission will take wing. Some of these areas will seem familiar, but the way you employ them may need to be tweaked in order for you to survive and thrive...

The year 2012 marked the first #GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, where leaders across nonprofit and for-profit industries use social media to promote the end-of-year giving season. Since the holiday was created by the United Nations Foundation and the 92nd Street Y, philanthropy in the U.S. has evolved significantly. Philanthropists are giving larger charitable donations…

Now is the time to think about what you want to do in the new year that will leave you a better fundraiser one year from now. I’m not talking resolutions—those are too often forgotten before January comes to an end. Rather, jot down some things you want to make a priority in the next 12 months as part of your professional growth. Here are a few ideas to help you begin your list...

When it comes to talking about estate planning—a topic that combines the ultra-awkward subjects of death and taxes—families with fortunes aren’t any more comfortable than the average American is. But when the older generation wants to leave a philanthropic legacy (and on average, the wealthy plan to give away 12 percent of their estate to…