You know planned giving is essential to your nonprofit’s future. But when it comes to convincing your board? That can take some work.
Boards are made up of intelligent, dedicated people who care deeply about your cause. But even the most well-meaning board members can fall into some common traps:
- The Now-Or-Never Mindset: “We need money now, not in ten years.”
- The ROI Roadblock: “Where is the proof a planned giving effort will produce anything substantial?”
If either of these objections sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many nonprofit leaders face resistance when making the case for long-term strategies like planned giving—especially when there’s constant pressure to raise immediate funds.
What’s Behind the Pushback?
Board members can view planned giving as too slow, too uncertain or simply too far removed from the organization’s day-to-day needs. It’s easy to prioritize annual campaigns, major gifts or even capital campaigns—giving that generates income in the shorter term.
But here’s the truth: Planned giving is working. It’s just working on a different timeline.
The Case for Planned Giving—Reframed
Instead of leading with planned giving jargon, reframe the conversation around vision, stewardship and legacy. Your board needs to understand that planned giving is not a distraction from your mission—it’s an essential part of your strategy to sustain it.
💡 Board Tip: Speaking of jargon, you may want to consider reframing the language you use to talk to your board about planned giving.
In a recent podcast, “Selling Philanthropy to Leadership,” Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®, says “…when we looked at messaging, it turns out that there are some powerful things we can do in this messaging. One of them is, I like the phrase, “major gifts of assets” rather than talking just “planned giving.”
The reason is when we talk about planned giving, the CFO is going to think, “Oh, that’s the death stuff. That’s going to grow so much later.” Whereas, if we talk about major gifts of assets, major gifts excites any CFO, it’s now and later. The idea is this, if you want to raise major gifts of assets, you can’t do that unless you understand assets.”
5 Ways to Help Your Board Get on Board
1. Connect the Dots Between Strategy and Sustainability
Most organizations already have a strategic plan, but too often, it focuses on programs and services—not how to fund them long-term. Use your strategic plan as a tool to show how future needs will require durable funding sources.
Ask: What happens when the market fluctuates, when federal funding priorities shift or when donor behavior changes? Planned giving ensures there’s a financial bridge to tomorrow, providing long-term, sustainable support.
💡 Board Tip: Share trends and projections. For example, the largest generational wealth transfer in history is already underway—with an estimated $18 trillion going to charity through 2048. Your organization can either participate in that conversation or miss out.
2. Emphasize the Payoff, Not Just the Process
Your board may not realize how significant planned gifts can be:
- The average planned gift in the U.S. is between $35,000 and $70,000.
- Most planned gifts come to maturity in 7–10 years, only slightly longer than typical capital campaign pledges.
💡 Board Tip: Highlight that one planned gift is, on average, over 200 times larger than an annual gift.
3. Normalize the Conversation (and the Commitment)
Board members lead by example. Make planned giving a clear and reasonable expectation for board service. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to write your nonprofit into their will tomorrow—but it does mean they should understand their role as ambassadors for legacy giving.
Start small:
- Ask board members to consider naming your nonprofit as a beneficiary of an IRA or life insurance policy.
- Share simple templates or checklists to remove confusion.
- Use language that emphasizes values and legacy, not just financial transactions.
💡 Board Tip: Appoint a Planned Giving Champion on the board—someone who has already made a gift and is willing to speak up about why. Their endorsement adds authenticity and momentum.
4. Keep the Conversation Alive
Education and encouragement aren’t one-time events. Keep legacy giving on the radar with consistent communication and engagement.
- Start board meetings with a planned giving donor story.
- Text or email a quick stat or article you’ve just discovered about planned giving.
- Invite a board member along on a donor visit. Shadowing opportunities like this let them observe gift conversations in action and build confidence in a supportive setting—especially with donors who are already open to the idea of giving.
💡 Board Tip: Create a shared document or group chat where members can drop articles, donor stories, or questions between meetings. It keeps the conversation active, invites collaboration, and helps build a culture where legacy giving becomes part of everyday thinking—not just a quarterly agenda item.
5. Imagine the Future
Ultimately, this is about building something that lasts. Invite your board to envision what your organization could achieve with a reliable, flexible source of funding 10, 20 even 50 years from now.
Legacy gifts won’t just keep the lights on—they’ll empower the next generation of changemakers to do bold work without constantly scrambling for funds.
💡 Board Tip: Discuss how planned giving relieves future staff and board members from financial anxiety and frees them to focus on the mission.
Final Thought: They’re Not Just Advisors—They’re Architects
Your board doesn’t just oversee your organization, they help shape its future. Planned giving is one of the most powerful ways they can do that. With the right framing, storytelling and expectation-setting, you can inspire them to take ownership of that future and become true legacy leaders.
💡 Board Tip: The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners National Standards for Gift Planning Success start with the critical pillar ‘Support from the Top.’ These standards provide you tools to help encourage your board to invest in planned giving—check them out!
Additional Resources
