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Farther Planned Giving Guide
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Farther Planned Giving Guide

Written by:
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Written by:
Written by:
Farther

1. Introduction to Planned Giving

Planned giving (legacy giving) refers to donors making charitable gifts through their estate or long-term financial plans. These gifts often provide transformational support and strengthen your organization’s long-term financial resilience.

Why Planned Giving Matters

  • Creates a pipeline of future support
  • Offers donors a meaningful way to express their values
  • Strengthens long-term sustainability
  • Has one of the highest ROI of any fundraising strategy

2. Building Internal Readiness

A. Secure Organizational Buy-In

Highlight to leadership and the board that legacy giving supports financial sustainability and aligns with strengthening future mission impact.  

Tip: Keep in mind your board will often be a great source of feedback and testing for the program. 

B. Designate a Program Lead

While this is typically assigned to the Development Director, this may be a development staff member, executive director, or trained board volunteer. What matters is accountability and consistency.

C. Establish Key Policies

  • Gift acceptance standards
  • Recognition/Legacy Society practices
  • Procedures for documenting, recording, and stewarding planned gifts

D. Set Realistic Goals

Use 12- to 24-month activity goals such as:

  • Number of donor conversations
  • Number of prospects identified 
  • Number of bequest intentions secured
  • Outreach and stewardship milestones

3. Core Tools & Infrastructure

A. Essential Tools

  • Donor CRM for tracking conversations and commitments
    • It is crucially important to ensure that the CRM is being used and that Development team members are trained on the tools and resources available
  • Email and print communication templates
  • Educational materials and opportunities for donors
  • Website section dedicated to planned giving
    • An overview of legacy giving
    • Donor stories
    • Sample bequest language
    • Instructions for next steps (advisors, online tools, etc.)

B. Professional Partners

  • Estate planning attorneys
  • Financial advisors
  • Community foundations
  • Trust Resources - Bank/trust departments
  • Insurance Providers (or your financial advisor)
    • Charitable Gift Annuities (if applicable)

C. Technology-Assisted Solutions

Integrate simple pathways for donors to complete an estate plan or update beneficiaries via online will/trust platforms (e.g., “online estate planning tools such as FreeWill, Trust & Will, or similar platforms”).

4. Identifying & Prioritizing Prospective Legacy Donors

Strong Planned Giving Prospects Include:

  • Long-term, consistent donors
  • Recurring monthly donors
  • Former board members and volunteers
  • Donors without direct heirs or whose heirs are financially secure
  • Individuals with strong mission alignment

Practical Prospecting Steps:

  1. Analyze your donor file for loyalty indicators.
  2. Add a legacy question to donor surveys and reply devices.
  3. Segment your top legacy prospects for proactive outreach.
  4. Build an initial priority list (Top 25, Top 50 prospects).

5. How to Talk to Donors About Planned Giving

A. Focus on Values, Not Death

Use phrases like “create a legacy” or “support future generations of impact.”

B. Introduce the Topic Early

Normalize planned giving as part of your broader relationship-building process.

C. Ask Open, Values-Based Questions

Examples:

  • “What impact do you hope your support will have in the future?”
  • “Have you considered ways your values might live on through your giving?”
  • “Does your estate plan include any charitable priorities?”

Resource: Russell James: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEt8hsdTIo4

D. Reassure Donors about Organizational Strength

Discuss:

  • Long-term mission stability
  • Governance, Investment Strategy and financial health
  • Clear stewardship practices
  • Share your strategic plan (if applicable)

E. Keep Language Simple

Use “gifts in a will,” “beneficiary designations,” “estate plans,” instead of technical terms.

6. Making Legacy Giving Easy for Donors

Provide Simple Tools and Steps:

  • Estate planning readiness checklist
  • Sample bequest language
  • Easy ways to designate beneficiaries on accounts
  • Contact information for trusted estate advisors
  • Access to online will/trust creation tools

Offer Next-Step Guidance:

  • How to update an existing will
  • How to notify the organization of a gift intention
  • How to document restrictions or preferences

7. Marketing Your Planned Giving Program

A. Ensure Year-Round Visibility

  • Add planned giving to newsletters, emails, and acknowledgments
  • Include a “Ways to Give Through Your Estate” page on your website
  • Share stories of legacy donors and their impact

B. Leverage Seasonal Opportunities

Estate Planning Awareness Week (each October)

  • Host a webinar or Q&A with an attorney
  • Share educational content on estate planning basics
  • Run a small campaign encouraging supporters to create/update their plans

C. Use Storytelling Effectively

Highlight:

  • Donor motivations
  • Values alignment
  • Long-term program or mission success enabled by legacy gifts

8. Stewarding Planned Giving Donors

A. Acknowledge Intentions Promptly

Personal thank-you messages, handwritten notes, or a call from leadership.

B. Offer Legacy Society Membership

May include:

  • Annual appreciation events
  • Special updates
  • Recognition in publications (if donor opts in)

C. Maintain Regular, Warm Communication

Legacy donors should feel like insiders—not a separate category.

D. Periodically Confirm Gift Details

Ensure clarity of donor wishes, restrictions, and recognition preferences.

9. Quick-Start Checklist (Copy/Paste Into Your Internal Plan)

Program Setup

☐ Secure leadership and board buy-in
☐ Establish gift acceptance and recognition policies
☐ Assign a program lead
☐ Create planned giving webpage

Prospecting

☐ Identify loyal long-term supporters
☐ Segment top prospects
☐ Add legacy questions to surveys and reply cards

Outreach & Marketing

☐ Add planned giving PS in newsletters/email signatures
☐ Develop donor stories
☐ Create annual marketing calendar
☐ Plan Estate Planning Awareness Week content

Stewardship

☐ Launch/update Legacy Society
☐ Create stewardship touchpoints
☐ Track intentions and follow-up steps in CRM

We hope you have found this Planned Giving resource to be helpful.  Pursuing a planned giving strategy today can help your organization sustain its success long into the future.

For more information or to setup a consultation with Farther please visit our website at https://www.farther.com/institutions or contact our Institutional Director, Aaron Sheklin at aaron@farther.com

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This document is for informational purposes only. It is educational in nature and not designed to be taken as advice or a recommendation for any specific investment product, strategy, plan feature or other purpose in any jurisdiction, nor is it a commitment from Farther Financial Advisors, LLC or any of its subsidiaries or related entities to participate in any of the transactions mentioned herein. All sources of information used are deemed reliable and accurate at the time of printing. Advisory services are provided by Farther Finance Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. Investing in securities involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Before investing, consider your investment objectives, as well as Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s fees and expenses. Farther Finance Advisors, LLC does not provide tax or legal advice; please consult your tax and legal professionals for guidance on these matters.

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Updated as of January 15, 2026

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