Planned Giving Without a Planned Giving Officer
You do not need a J.D. to start a legacy program. Bequests, beneficiary designations, and the marketing that surfaces them.
Through the Higher Ed lens
Many colleges, especially smaller ones without a dedicated planned giving staff, run exactly the two-instrument program this module describes, marketed through the alumni magazine and a reply-device checkbox rather than a specialist's outreach. The legacy society, often named for a founder or founding year, does the psychological work of converting a private decision into a visible, normal one among a class of alumni who already join things, reunion committees, class clubs, affinity groups. The bequest conversation guide's boundaries matter especially for development staff without legal training who nonetheless field questions at reunions about how to name the college in an estate plan; the referral discipline, warmth plus a clean handoff to counsel, protects both the alum and the institution.
Continuing education
1.00 points
Securing the Gift · Relationship Building
Learning objectives
- Explain why bequests and beneficiary designations make up most planned gifts by count and describe who tends to leave them.
- Build a bequest prospect list from tenure and engagement rather than capacity.
- Launch a legacy society in one season: the name, the membership sentence, the enrollment form, the charter letter, and the records that outlive the staff.
- Raise legacy giving inside an ordinary donor visit, receive an intention with gratitude, and stay within the boundaries that keep the fundraiser out of legal and tax advice.
- Set up the standing channels and the annual letter that surface intentions, and run the response protocol within a week of each raised hand.
Designed for CFRE continuing education. Not yet accepted; no CFRE points can be claimed.
Lessons
- 20 min
Video lesson
The 80/20 of planned gifts
II See · Securing the Gift
- 22 min
Template· DOCX
Legacy society starter kit
V Receive · Relationship Building
- 17 min
Field guide· PDF
Bequest conversation guide
IV Invite · Securing the Gift
- 15 min
Field guide· PDF
Marketing planned gifts quietly and well
VI Accompany · Relationship Building
This is members-only material.
Members get every lesson, template, and worksheet in all eight tracks, plus the support to put them to work in your shop.
More in this stage
Boards, Teams & Leadership
Running the Development Shop
Directing the work is a different craft than doing it. Plans, budgets, staff structure, and the operating rhythm of a healthy shop.
Capital Campaigns
Capital Campaign Readiness
Before the feasibility study, before the consultant: an honest readiness assessment and the two years of quiet work that make campaigns succeed.
Boards, Teams & Leadership
Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping Fundraisers
The average fundraiser tenure is 16 months. Build a team that stays: hiring for the real job, coaching the craft, and career paths that retain.