Does your legacy case for support seem to have a limited impact on your planned giving results? If your answer is a doleful yes, It’s time to take a step back, and see what you’re doing wrong. Let’s take a look at the 6 most common mistakes made regarding a legacy or planned giving case for support.
Mistake #1: Skipping a case for support entirely.
A case for support is foundational document with any fundraising project or campaign, including planned giving. It provides the language, stories and information to speak and write accurately, confidently and passionately about your organization. In a legacy case for support, it inspires donors to support your mission into the future.
Mistake #2: Your case for support is written to please your staff and board.
The audience should be your donors and the general community (where everyone is a potential donor). If you use “organization-speak”, which could show up as acronyms and high-level language, your case will fall flat.
Mistake #3: Your document is positioned to “educate” your donors.
Focus on what your donors care about, and the impact they can have through a future gift. Don’t allow your legacy case to become an information dump.
Mistake #4: Your case reinforces how fantastic your organization is at delivering its mission to those you serve.
Yes, of course your charity is fantastic! However instead of discussing how a legacy gift will enable your organization to do great things, take a different approach. Talk directly to the donor and focus on how their legacy gift will directly impact those you serve. It’s a subtle but important nuance.
Mistake #5: Your case is full of statistics to convince readers of the importance of a gift.
Donors want to be inspired to give. We all know inspiration is best achieved through stories and testimonials. These stories can come from those you serve or from other donors who have chosen to leave your organization a bequest.
Mistake #6: Your legacy case is not future facing.
When donors think about a bequest to a charity, they think about the impact of their gift in the future. While we don’t have a crystal ball, your legacy case should capture your donor’s imagination in what this future impact can enable with their support.
Still need help to inspire your donors to gift through a legacy case for support? Check out more resources here, or contact us about custom support for your organization. PGgrowth is here to help.