If your nonprofit is primarily funded with gifts from people as opposed to institutions or the government, you are in better shape than you may think because you're getting what I call "heartfelt" gifts. Institutionalized giving and government budgets must adhere to the predetermined guidelines of boards and bureaucrats. But individual giving is motivated by the basics--generosity, and a history of care and concern about what you're doing and how you're doing it.

If you have a long-term mission, and a growing constituency of people giving you gifts on a regular basis over several years, then you have loyal friends to meet with about planning gifts. I've always felt planned giving is the most people-to-people, basic form of fundraising, overall. It's so personal. You don't need anything fancy, especially now, a basic bequest program will add ties to your donors that bind for life.

You may think I'm crazy, but I think now is a good time to begin a planned giving program or reboot a dormant one. Making a gift through a will is not intimidating when it comes to cash flow. In fact, it may make a lot of sense to your supporters and help them feel better to know they can still take steps to help their favorite charity , even if their gifts have been smaller lately.

You don't need to offer charitable gift annuities - although I still love them - or other more complicated vehicles. All you need is a plan to meet with your loyal donors. Or, reach out to them with email, telephone, and written material to show them they still matter to you and how they can still be helpful in a significant way. It's not as if their planned gift will in any way take away from current gifts. In fact, you may find your planned giving supporters making larger annual gifts than before, volunteer more, and just generally feel more committed to your organization.

Author's Bio: 

Lorri M. Greif, CFRE, president of Breakthrough Philanthropy, Inc., has more than two decades of experience in the nonprofit community focused on creating and implementing successful planned giving and major gifts campaigns for local and national nonprofits. She has the experience of a seasoned nonprofit fundraiser coupled with the knowledge of a professional consultant.
Her many years of strategic thinking, fundraising know-how, and donor cultivation and stewardship, are now a key resource addressing the needs of Breakthrough Philanthropy's clients, mostly mid-sized to larger nonprofits.
Lorri has a unique skill for building or re-working fundraising campaigns from "the ground up." As the first Chief Development Professional for HIAS, Inc., a 120+ year immigration rescue agency, she created a major gift and planned giving program while accelerating their annual campaign. She changed the organization's fundraising culture by providing extensive training to other professionals and board members about the importance of individual giving versus dependence on government funding. She also created national marketing strategies, defined gift acceptance guidelines for the agency, oversaw adherence to IRS and government regulations, and more.
Lorri was also the National Director of Planned Giving for Women's American ORT (now ORT America, Inc.), a 100+ year-old nonprofit organization, which provides funding for vocational training and re-training worldwide. In addition to directing the program, she created and implemented a national marketing campaign for planned giving that helped to bring participation in the planned giving society to more than 1,000 members. She also helped to create the organization's Diamond Ladder campaign, which brings in millions of dollars in new and increased major gifts.
Additionally, Lorri helped to create or reinvigorate planned giving campaigns for such organizations as the Police Athletic League, Inc. (PAL), Friends of the IDF, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), to name just a few.
Lorri proudly serves on the board of Women in Development (WID). She is also a member of the Planned Giving Group of Greater New York (PGGGNY), the National Council on Planned Giving (NCPG), the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA), and more! Contact Lorri at info@breakthroughphilanthropy.com .