In the age of Zoom, there’s still a hunger for webinars—maybe more so. We saw record attendance in our free webinar series and we were honored to welcome repeat speakers as well new friends.
At this point in the year, I often pick the top five webinars from the past 12 months. Here’s a new take: I truly recommend all of 2021’s presentations, but I also know that you did a great job watching these in real time. Based on the numbers, we’re reaching you when you’re hungry to learn.
So, for this annual post I went back to our full selection of webinars—which we’ve archived since 2009. I picked five that you simply must see (and yes, one is from this year).
These webinars are presented by some of the best minds in our industry. Their topics are as relevant today as ever. In these hour-long presentations you’ll find:
- Conversations around the full donor journey.
- Tips to get the most from your marketing budget with a thoughtful plan that focuses on outcomes.
- Ways to use a legacy challenge to add urgency and a sense of community to your marketing.
- Help getting your boss to see the value of your work.
In no particular order, here are my recommendations:
Designing the Perfect Marketing Strategy for Your Planned Giving Program
Presenter: Kathryn W. Miree, J.D.
Year: 2020
Description: Learn how to use strategy and expected outcomes to drive the selection and combination of marketing options and themes that will best engage your planned giving donors.
Feedback from an attendee: “Outstanding presentation. Grateful to Kathryn for continually sharing her wealth of experience and depth of knowledge pertaining to running an effective gift planning program.”
Plannual Giving
Presenters: Patience Boudreaux and Ray Watts, CFRE
Year: 2015
Description: Yeah, we know “plannual” is a made-up word, but the concepts offered here are real: Integrate your annual and planned giving efforts, then watch your success skyrocket.
Weaving Planned Giving Into Your Donor Conversations
Presenter: Melanie J. Norton, CFRE, MBA
Year: 2021
Description: Feeling anxious about transitioning a fundraising conversation into a planned giving conversation? This webinar will take your fears away. Learn strategies for seamless transitions that, in the end, will help your donors make the long-term impact they want.
Feedback from an attendee: “This was one of the best fundraising webinars I’ve attended (and I’ve attended a lot). It had excellent information for all fundraisers, not just Planned Giving.”
What Your Boss Really Needs to Know About Gift Planning
Presenter: Scott Lumpkin
Year: 2015
Description: Do you know how to position planned giving so that your boss delights in the amazing work you do and becomes your biggest cheerleader?
Implementing Your First or Second Legacy Challenge
Presenters: John B. Kendrick CAP and Courtney Tsai, JD, CAP
Year: 2020
Description: Learn how to implement an effective legacy challenge program from those who’ve done it, twice.
Feedback from an attendee: “A legacy challenge is on our list of things to do in the next year. Thank you to the team at Stelter for helping to support this idea. And thank you to the team at GW for sharing their success in such a thoughtful presentation.”
Got Time for One More?
I have one bonus pick from a key voice in our industry: Dr. Russell James provides conversation scripts and planning techniques for raising major gifts of assets in today’s environment. His 2021 webinar, “Raising Major Gifts of Assets During a Pandemic” is a here-and-now look at our fundraising challenges and opportunities. If you haven’t seen his presentation yet, you are missing researched-backed insights that could make a big financial impact on your work. Watch it to start the new year with confidence.