How PlannedGiving.com is Changing Attitudes Toward Legacy Gifts

Historically, nonprofits have had uneasy attitudes toward legacy giving, also known as planned giving. Legacy or planned giving refers to charitable donations made after an individual’s death, as specified through their will or their estate planning organization. This type of donor-based fundraising is intimidating for many nonprofits for several reasons. First, they usually take a while to receive. Secondly, it can seem rude, uncomfortable, or awkward to ask a donor to consider donating to an organization upon their death.

Despite factors such as these that hinder nonprofits from asking for legacy gifts, planned giving can be a powerful asset for nonprofits because it allows donors to make larger donations than they would be able to using their usual income. For this reason, PlannedGiving.com is on a mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding legacy gifts and to teach nonprofit organizations how to maximize the effects of legacy giving on their activities.

Founder and CEO Viken Mikaelian created PlannedGiving.com after recognizing many nonprofits’ need for effective marketing campaigns centered specifically around planned or legacy giving. “Planned giving and legacy giving programs are neglected by 99% of all charities, yet they represent vast wealth,” he says. “Only about 1 percent of all nonprofits have a planned giving program — and they’re the ones that are successfully weathering the financial storms.”

PlannedGiving.com has now helped over 5,000 nonprofits establish their planned giving programs online. The platform has accomplished this through a combination of informative and educational fundraising and dynamic, client-friendly marketing.

PlannedGiving.com puts much effort into teaching donors about the importance of estate planning. Recent studies have shown that two-thirds of adults in America have not drafted a will that specifies how their money will be used in the event of their death. In light of the predicted “Great Wealth Transfer” that will see Gen X and Millennials inherit up to $140 trillion, estate planning is paramount for many potential nonprofit donors. By promoting estate planning, nonprofits can ensure that they are part of donors’ future plans and eventual will, maximizing their revenue from legacy gifts.

PlannedGiving.com also partly owes its success to its clear, straightforward marketing strategy. Instead of leading clients through a labyrinth of legal jargon and complicated technicalities, the platform speaks directly to potential clients’ values, focusing on the things that matter to them, like leaving a lasting legacy. PlannedGiving.com also helps nonprofit organizations establish planned giving websites, which are crucial for recruiting more donors because today, 96% of people between the ages of 50 and 64 are online and at least 75% of seniors above the age of 65 are Internet-savvy. 

The platform even gives clients the opportunity to start small with bequests, which are simple charitable requests made through a will or a revocable trust. These are the most common type of legacy gift and the easiest to make since they cost donors nothing during their lifetime.

PlannedGiving.com currently tailors its services to medium to large nonprofit organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs and United Way chapters, along with state schools and large healthcare networks. The organization is also the publisher of the magazine Giving Tomorrow, which offers an inside look at nonprofits, fundraising, and marketing for planned giving.