Digital Planned Giving Myths
Let me take you back to 2005…
You wake up in the morning, groggily reaching for your alarm clock.
Make coffee, turn on the radio, then load up your computer. You marvel at how fast your new high-speed internet connection is compared to dial up!
Time to check your emails - there’s 2. One marketing from Amazon with the latest deal on books, and the other from your favourite blog. You read it, then check out your other favourite lifestyle blog.
You then head out to work. On the way your friend texts you, but rather than taking the time to text back on your T9 keyboard, you decide to call to arrange your evening plans…
Our lives 20 years ago were vastly different. There’s been a revolution in the way we communicate with each other.
Yet so many Planned Giving programs are stuck in the past - relying solely on direct mail and teas.
Don’t get me wrong! I love snail mail and a cup of Earl Grey - but if you limit your fundraising to these outdated tactics, you will miss out on large estate gifts.
The biggest myth about Planned Giving is your target audience are old donors who aren’t online - but here’s the facts. Recent research by Blakley shows that:
47% of donors are in the “middle generations” - Older Millennials, Gen X, and young Boomers.
38% of donors under the age of 60 are considering leaving a gift in their Will to charity.
Gen X and young Boomers MADE the internet what it is today. And Millennials? While they still have memories of using a landline to call their friends, they practically grew up online. (This is my cohort - we can reminisce about MySpace and MSN Messenger all day.)
Here’s the reality: If you aren’t getting in front of these donors with your planned giving messages where they are at - online - other charities they support will.
However, setting up your Multichannel Planned Giving is easier than you think!
First, let’s address some misconceptions.
Usually when I mention “Multichannel Planned Giving” fundraisers think of either email marketing or digital ads.
Email marketing for Planned Giving is great! And it should be an important part of your strategy. However, if this is your only digital channel, you’re missing out on big opportunities to reach your donors.
Digital ads can produce great results for Planned Giving - when done well. The problem is doing them well takes both time and money. For a first-time multichannel program, they can be overwhelming - especially for small fundraising teams. Before stressing about digital ads, integrate your Planned Giving fundraising across all your organic communication channels.That way you’ll be in a stronger place to create a powerful digital ad campaign later. And you’ll start to see results coming in from your organic content alone - talk about a high ROI!
Ok! So we know to start your Multichannel Planned Giving program, you need to share Planned Giving messages across all organic communication channels - including, but not limited to emails.
Sounds simple, right?
But how do you do this well? In a way that inspires donors to give you their best gift?
Next week I’ll dive into my 5 Steps to Set Up Your First Multichannel Planned Giving Program. If you haven’t already, subscribe below to get it directly into your inbox.
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