2012 Memorial Planned Giving Ideas

Spring Flowers courtesy of NixBC on Flickr
The memorial giving season is coming up: wedding anniversaries; graduation anniversaries; Mother’s Day; and Father’s Day.

Start thinking about your promotion of memorial planned gifts, or gifts-in-memory-of your donors’ loved ones, now, so you’re prepared come May and June. If you’ve already got this in your annual plan, excellent. Either way, I have a few ideas. Add yours.

Facebook It. Remind fans this is the season to remember loved ones and dear friends. Include a link to your giving or Planned Giving page.

Direct Mail. If you’re not doing a mailing devoted to memorial gifts, drop a slip into an existing mailing. Or add a P.S. to a letter you’re already planning. No additional expense for either of these.

Newsletter. Got a newsletter going out in May or June? Drop in a sidebar.

Email. Got a list? Send a blast. Include a link for more information, or a link that opens an email to you.

Events. A short mention at spring cocktail parties will remind people of their parents’ and siblings’ wedding and graduation years.

Build Endowment. If you have an endowment, encourage memorial gifts to create or augment a fund in memory of family. Donors with funds might ask family to make a gift to your endowment as their anniversary gift. If you don’t have an endowment, you probably should by this time next year.

I hope spring is productive for you, before things slow down during summer. I remember when that was true.

I like Tom Waits. Here’s his “You Can Never Hold Back Spring.”

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