Author: Kris Cole

You don’t need a planned giving department to build a lasting legacy. You need a plan, a little education, and a willingness to have meaningful conversations.

For many small nonprofits, planned giving can seem like something only larger organizations do. Universities, hospitals, and national charities have dedicated planned giving officers, polished marketing materials, and legacy societies with impressive names. Smaller development shops are busy keeping the annual fund moving, writing grants, and running events, so planned giving ends up on the someday list.

But planned giving doesn’t have to begin with a formal program. It can begin with a conversation. For small nonprofits, that may be the smartest place to start.

Broaden the Conversation

Most people hear “planned giving” and think of bequests, where a donor includes a nonprofit in their will or trust. But donors can also name a nonprofit as the beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy. Other options, such as qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from IRAs, allow eligible donors to support organizations during their lifetimes.

While QCDs are current gifts rather than deferred legacy commitments, they illustrate the broader range of charitable giving opportunities that donors may not know about.

You don’t need to master every giving vehicle overnight. You just need to recognize that donors have more ways to support the mission than an annual check, and that many won’t consider those options unless someone brings them up.

1. Educate Your Donors

Before you launch a legacy society or invest in expensive materials, make sure your donors know planned giving is an option.

• Update your website. Add a plain-English section on legacy gifts to your “Ways to Give” page. Include a few common options, how to get started, and a real person donors can contact for a confidential conversation. Encourage donors to consult their legal or financial advisers about the options best suited to their circumstances.
• Use the communications you already send. Add a short planned giving message to your newsletter, donor updates, or annual appeal. For example: “You’ve helped make our work possible today. Did you know you can help sustain it for generations to come? Including our organization in your estate plans or naming us as a beneficiary of an eligible account can create a lasting impact on the mission you care about.”
• Tell donor stories. With permission, share why a donor chose to make a legacy commitment. Stories make planned giving personal and approachable.
• Make it easy for donors to raise their hand. Add two checkboxes to reply forms and surveys: “I have included this organization in my estate plans” and “I would like information about making a planned or legacy gift.”

2. Look Beyond Giving Capacity

Development professionals spend a lot of time on wealth indicators and giving capacity. But for planned giving, one of the most valuable indicators may already be in your database: consistent loyalty.

Who has given faithfully for ten, fifteen, or twenty years? Who sends $50 every December, without fail? These donors may not be on a major gift prospect list, and their annual gifts may be modest. Their commitment to the mission is not.

Identify your most loyal donors regardless of gift size, then reach out. Don’t lead with a proposal or an assumption about their finances. Start a conversation. Ask what first connected them to your organization, what keeps them involved, and what they hope it will accomplish. When the relationship makes it appropriate, ask whether they’ve ever considered including the organization in their long-term charitable plans.

Imagine a small community arts organization with two development staff and no formal planned giving program. A review of its database reveals a donor who has given $100 a year for eighteen years. She has never attended a major donor event or been personally solicited.

The development director calls to thank her and learns that she took the organization’s arts programs as a child, and that those programs shaped her confidence and creativity. When the director mentions that some longtime supporters remember the organization in their estate plans, the donor pauses.

“I never thought anyone would be interested in a gift from someone like me.”

A few months later, she lets the organization know she has named it as a beneficiary.

Not every longtime donor has a significant estate gift to give. But the size of an annual gift doesn’t measure the depth of someone’s commitment, and we shouldn’t decide on a donor’s behalf whether their legacy matters.

3. Build the Foundation First

A legacy society may eventually be the right move. It shouldn’t be your first one. A society isn’t just a name and a recognition event. It’s an ongoing stewardship commitment that requires thoughtful communication, accurate records, respect for donor preferences, and continuity when leadership changes.

Start with the fundamentals instead. Educate your staff and board on common planned giving options. Put gift acceptance policies in place, along with a process for documenting and acknowledging commitments. These policies help ensure your organization can responsibly accept and manage gifts, particularly those involving real estate or other noncash assets.

Create clear, accurate materials. Most importantly, start having conversations.

Once you have a solid base of documented commitments and the capacity to steward them, a legacy society becomes a natural next step. You won’t be creating it in the hope that donors will join. You’ll be recognizing a community of donors who have already chosen to invest in your future.

4. Start Small, but Start Now

Your first ninety days don’t need to be complicated. Focus on three manageable steps that build on one another.

Your First 90 Days: A Simple Action Plan

None of this requires a six-figure budget. It requires intention, consistency, and patience. Planned giving isn’t a fix for this year’s budget shortfall, because deferred gifts are uncertain in both timing and value. Over time, though, it can become an important part of your organization’s long-term sustainability.

The Bottom Line

Small nonprofits don’t need to wait until they’re bigger or better staffed to start talking about planned giving. They already have something larger organizations sometimes struggle to maintain: personal relationships with donors who care deeply about the mission.

Start there. Educate your donors, look for loyalty, have meaningful conversations, and steward commitments with care. When the time is right, build the legacy society.

The foundation of a successful planned giving program isn’t a recognition society. It’s a relationship worth remembering.

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