Planned Giving Basics: Recognizing the Gift in Front of You
Bequests, beneficiary designations, and the signals a long-time donor sends; how to respond with gratitude and refer well. The gift most shops miss because nobody in year one was told to look.
Through the K-12 Schools lens
A school's loyalty list often includes alumni parents whose children graduated decades ago and who have kept giving small amounts out of attachment to a place, not a current transaction, exactly the signal this module says predicts a bequest better than wealth does. The information sheet and sample bequest language belong on a school's website next to the tuition and financial aid pages, since a parent or grandparent considering a legacy gift is often already thinking about their own family's education story continuing. Because a school's parent body turns over every decade or so, the signals worksheet is worth running against alumni and past-parent records specifically, who are rarely the strongest legacy prospects yet as current families.
Continuing education
1.00 points
Securing the Gift · Relationship Building
Learning objectives
- Explain what a planned gift is, why bequests are the largest gifts most organizations ever receive, and why loyalty matters more than wealth in identifying them.
- Describe bequests and beneficiary designations in plain terms, including what the donor does, what the organization does, and what neither should say about tax.
- Respond to a donor who mentions a legacy intention with gratitude, record it correctly, and refer the conversation to the right person.
- Read the organization's file for the signals of legacy readiness and produce a short list for the ED.
Designed for CFRE continuing education. Not yet accepted; no CFRE points can be claimed.
Lessons
- 16 min
Video lesson
The gift in front of you
II See · Securing the Gift
- 16 min
Field guide· PDF
Bequests and beneficiary designations, in plain terms
V Receive · Securing the Gift
- 16 min
Template· DOCX
Legacy response letters and the referral note
V Receive · Relationship Building
- 14 min
Worksheet· XLSX
Signals worksheet: reading your file for legacy readiness
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
Fundamentals & Ethics
How Fundraising Works
The map you weren't given: where the money comes from, why people give, and what a development program is made of.
Major & Principal Gifts
Your First Donor Conversations
Scripts, practice, and nerve for the conversations that fund your mission: discovery visits, thank-you calls, and your first ask.
Annual Giving & Direct Response
The Annual Fund, Explained
Appeals, segments, and the giving calendar: how recurring annual revenue gets built, one season at a time.