A planned giving program can range from basic conversation starters to advanced policies and procedures. Choosing the right-sized approach for your congregation can make the difference between a program that succeeds and one that stalls, said Ellie Johns-Kelley, Ministry Relations Officer of the Allegheny and Chesapeake Region; and Karl Mattison, Vice President for Planned Giving Resources.

They offered several such tools in “Basic, Intermediate, Advanced: Right-sized Planned Giving Programs,” one of two virtual Day of Learning presentations offered by the Presbyterian Foundation on March 29. Nearly 600 people registered for the free, virtual event.

The pandemic has made planned giving especially hard to discuss over the last two years, Mattison said. Yet the potential is massive and largely untapped, he said. Only 5% of decedents leave a bequest, but 28% would do so if asked. It’s the largest and most transformative gift most of us will ever give.

The two spoke about beginning, intermediate and advanced approaches that will depend on congregation size, planned giving team size and about how many hours per month the team can spend on planned giving.

It’s important to honestly assess your congregation’s capacity, Mattison said. Taking on too much can cause planned giving efforts to stall after six months and take seven or eight years to revive.

Make the plan

Church members need to see that there’s a plan in place to receive, use and honor their gifts, Johns-Kelley said. A well-crafted vision statement can establish this early.

So can a charter, Mattison added. This is a founding document that spells out a planned giving program’s purpose and structure and who has responsibility and authority for what actions.

Though we often think policies can be tedious, they don’t have to be with great samples available at www.stewardshipnavigator.com.  Policies assure donors their gifts will be managed with care. After all, the biggest gift we’ll ever make is one we won’t be here to see, Johns-Kelley said.

Build the team

“Everyone needs a role,” Mattison emphasized. Otherwise, you have team members who show up at meetings but don’t really know what else to do, while the work falls on one or two. Have a kickoff meeting each year to set the calendar and assign responsibilities.

Create a legacy circle to lift up givers and create better stewardship of their gifts, Johns-Kelley advised.

Get the word out

A variety of right-sized tools can accomplish the vital task of communicating the need, opportunities and joys of planned giving, the presenters said.

Basic options:

• A planned giving page for the church’s website.
• Blurbs for the bulletin, newsletter and social media; Mattison said these can be created in one sitting and scheduled out.
• A planned giving box to check on the annual pledge card. “Even a few responses to this would be amazing,” Mattison said.
• Legacy Sunday, celebrated in May, is a good opportunity to circulate brochures and hold Minutes for Mission, Johns-Kelley said.

Intermediate options:

• Four planned giving letters, articles and/or videos a year focusing on the impact of gifts already given.
• Conversations about planned giving. These can range from how to respond to inquiries to the sometimes-uncomfortable topic of death. “Shift the focus from the end to the beginning of what’s next,” Johns-Kelley said.
• Bring your Ministry Relations Officer in for an event — and remember to invite people personally.

Advanced:

• Venture into the unexpected and creative; what are members yearning for? “Each of us has something or someone we care about so much that we lose sleep,” Mattison said. “So we plan” — and the right approach passes on our faith as well as our stuff.
• Consider a legacy gathering, such as a small group dessert.
• Invite the session and staff to partner with the planned giving team, perhaps listing three things each elder can do. Let them know how to talk about and document planned giving and have a team member in charge of thank-you.
• Don’t forget your church endowment’s annual report (it can be one page) and/or impact video. “Many of our endowments are doing amazing things,” Mattison said.
• Invite members to share stories about giving, Mattison said. “Presbyterians hate to boast, but we do need their stories.”

Regardless of the size or scope of your program, both emphasized, you don’t have to create it from scratch: visit Stewardship Navigator for customizable web pages, vision statements and more or contact the Ministry Relations Officer for your region.