10) Is Your Non-Profit or Church Starting a Planned Giving Program?

When we hear the phrase, “planned giving,” we can basically substitute the words, “Help prospective donors give via a last will and testament.” So the question is – does your church or non-profit help members/friends sort out how to write a will? If you wanted to start a ministry to *help* prospective donors know how to *do* such a thing, where would you turn? What’s your favorite agency or service designed to do such a thing? Services like this can be free for the end-user (the donor), even if they charge the non-profit (beneficiary). This past week, we received word from the folks at FreeWill.com that one of our workers had placed our organization in their will. (Thank you to the workers!) Freewill didn’t tell us exactly how much it would be, but they *did* give us the name of the workers. We contacted the workers to learn more about the service and they were very satisfied. The entire service was free – just like the name! Of course, when FreeWill contacted us, they wanted to know if our organization would like to engage them to help us on a ramped-up basis. Turns out that service might cost $9000/year (or more, depending on your organiztion’s annual budget). But the truth is, if even one donor per month decided to use FreeWill (and feature your organization), it would more than pay for itself – someday. (This is all deferred giving, mind  you.) What’s more, FreeWill can be featured for your donors/partners in a more active way, resulting in (presumably) even *more* gifts for your org.

There are multiple agencies who do this sort of thing. What’s your favorite? Has your organization benefited from a planned giving service like FreeWill? If so, would you be kind enough to tell us which service you prefer? What’s your favorite? Thanks in advance for your recommendation!