Planned Giving Research Insights
The Stelter Company has reported on its recent survey research (phone survey targeting age 40+ donors) regarding planned giving.
Some findings from their report — What Makes Them Give? (registration required to download):
- Fully 60% of ‘best prospects’ are age 40-54.
- 20% of current planned givers say they had been donating to the nonprofit for less than five years at the time of their gift.
- Another 21% say they had never donated to the charity before putting a planned gift in place.
- Nearly 40 percent of current planned givers with a history of giving make annual donations of less than $500.
- A minority of planned givers inform charities of their gift (40 percent).
- A significant number of current planned givers (40 percent) say they made the decision on their own. The most common interaction reported was a conversation with a family member (25 percent).
Lack of previous engagement … not just the major donors … speed of action. Some counter-intuitive stuff here, no?
Using the survey data, the report offers an excellent discussion of donor stewardship, particularly with respect to donor communications.
Out of ten tested messages, which most resonates with planned givers? 66% want simply “to make the world a better place”.
Stelter’s top five recommendations …
- Increase communication to middle-aged supporters.
- Focus planned giving messages on a wider variety of donors.
- Harness the influence of family.
- Provide singles with more and better attention.
- Rethink legacy societies.
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer