By Mike Patterson, CFRE
There’s a popular adage that is apropos to planned giving: KISS.
Introducing gift arrangements to uninformed prospects is one of the most challenging aspects of any fundraiser’s job. Unfortunately, many gift planners and development officers use technical jargon that is familiar to them but which a prospect may equate to trying to decipher an exotic foreign language. Fundraisers find it easier to speak in their language than the donor’s.
The technological gobbledygook is evident in other aspects of the solicitation and marketing process as well. It’s found in many newsletters, brochures, direct mail pieces and proposals.
That’s because fundraisers forget to Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Although gifts continue to be closed at charitable organizations, many gifts are undoubtedly lost because a prospect’s eyes glazed over at the plethora of unfathomable numbers or incomprehensible explanations.
If gifts are lost because a prospect can’t understand the concept, then the opposite must be true. More gifts could be obtained if the prospect has a clear understanding of how the gift works and how it will benefit her and the organization she wishes to support.
There are several techniques fundraisers can use to present material in a more donor-friendly format and which can lead to more gift closures:
Personal Visits
Avoid using planned giving terms initially, such as charitable remainder unitrusts, gift annuities, lead trusts, and so forth. Explain a gift-making concept in clear, exciting language, and stress how this can achieve great things. Closely monitor body language, eye contact and engagement. Check your progress by occasionally asking, “Do you have any questions about this?” Or, “How does this sound to you?”
Planned giving consultant Winton Smith provides an excellent example of how to explain a life income concept: “Imagine a gift annuity is a basket. You put your money in a basket, and it pays you out of the basket for the rest of your life. After you’re gone, what’s left in the basket goes to charity.”
He accompanies this explanation by drawing a basket on a yellow legal pad with arrows depicting where the money goes. It is an effective, low-tech presentation that clearly illustrates how a life income gift works.
Brochures/Booklets
Avoid relying on brochures and booklets to explain a gift concept. Although they are the mainstay of planned giving materials, they are often dull, lengthy and overly technical. If you wish to leave something behind for the donor or provide an enticing offer through the mail, try shorter booklets or brochures that hit the highlights of the gift. Or prepare a one- or two-page question and answer handout about a gift arrangement, printed on your letterhead. It’s simple, readable and answers the key questions a prospect may have at a glance.
Direct Mail
Keep letters brief and to the point. The tendency of many fundraisers responding to a query is to run a detailed gift illustration and include a cover letter spelling out the income, deductions, tax-free income, payout rates, etc. (Some proposals to donors even include footnotes with legal citations.) If the prospect was not intimidated when she opened the letter and glanced at the array of numbers, she may have made it halfway through the proposal before setting it aside to study later. Chances are she won’t pick it up again.
The solution? Leave out the legalisms and explain the concepts in plain English. Keep the letter as brief as possible — one page is preferable — with only two or three key numbers. Use bullet points. Attach an at-a-glance sheet that contains the more detailed numbers. And rather than a multi-page booklet, insert a brief question-and-answer explanation.
The proposal will be read and understood. At this point, you will be in a much better position of advancing the gift and explaining the material in much more details.
So the next time you make that initial contact with a prospect, remember the process will go much more smoothly with a KISS.