Checklist

  The organization tracks retention for all donors and reviews statistics annually and for a 10-year period

  The organization tracks Legacy Society members as a group and reports data on their giving and engagement annually 

  The organization seeks feedback from donors regularly to understand communication preferences and solicit feedback 

Tools

  FREE Donor Insights: Why Planned Gifts Remain Secret (Katherine Kotlarczyk and Gordon Trafton)

  Donor Retention: What Do We Know and What Can We Do About It? (Adrian Sargeant)

  Commission on the Donor Experience Studies (Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration)

  Leaving a Legacy: A New Look at Planned Giving Donors (Giving USA Special Report) 

Checklist

  The organization has a calendar for marketing that coordinates messaging across organizational units

  All planned gift marketing messages (including acknowledgments, thank yous, welcome kits, appeals, newsletters, web pages, etc.) are audited in conjunction with the organization’s overall marketing calendar at least annually for consistency and currency of message and branding

  Profiles of planned gift donors are included in web and print marketing

Tools

  FREE Moving from Tactics to Strategy: Finding the Secret Sauce for Your Gift Planning Marketing (Kathryn Miree)

  Visualized Autobiography and Donor Stories: Good for Your Donors, Good for Your Organization (Elissa Leif)

  Getting the Most ROI from Your Planned Giving Marketing Investment (Phyllis Freedman)

  The Coming Gift Boom and The Art of Integrated Marketing (Andrew Ragone)

  Developing a Proactive Planned Giving Marketing Plan (Timothy Logan)

Checklist

  The organization has a stewardship plan that specifies the touches donors at various levels receive and who is responsible

  Stewardship activities are included in fundraiser performance metrics

  The organization has a clear process to connect donors to engagement opportunities

  All donors receive personalized communication  describing the impact of their gift at least annually

Tools

 FREE Ready, Set, Go -- Reaching New Heights with Your Legacy Society (Alison O’Carroll and Sara Elward)

 Unleashing Planned Gift Stewardship (Scott Lumpkin) 

 Attracting More Donors with Honey: Sweet Rewards from Good Stewardship (Charlotte Meyer)

  If You Build It They Will Commit: Mining Your Loyal Donor Pool for Bequest Fundraising and More (Liz Thompson and Aleksandra Stankovic—on-demand webinar)

  Sample Stewardship Plan--Lincoln Park Zoo 

  Best Practices in Donor Reporting (ADRP/AASP)

Checklist

  The organization has an external case for near-term support that is current and easily accessible by staff and donors

  The organization has an external case for long-term support that is current and easily accessible by staff and donors

  Case statements are integrated across all marketing platforms

Tools

  Developing Your Case for Support: Involving the Donor (Margaret Guellich and Lynda Lysakowski--book excerpt)

 Creating a Case Statement: Step by Step Guidebook (Nonprofit Learning Lab)

  Seeing Through a Donor's Eyes: How to Make a Persuasive Case for Everything from Your Annual Drive to Your Planned Giving Program to Your Capital Campaign (Tom Ahern--book)

 Sample Case Statements (Kirsten Bullock, The Nonprofit Academy)

 Your Case for Support: Good Design Will Make It Stronger (Jenny Winton, Mission Minded)

Checklist

  Job descriptions for all development personnel are up to date and easily accessible to staff

  There is a standard orientation process for all new hires that includes review of strategic plan and all gift planning policies, procedures and metrics

  All fundraisers receive performance reviews annually

  The organization has access to technical expertise on staff or through volunteers or paid counsel

Tools

  FREE "Hiring, Motivating and Retaining High Impact Charitable Planners" (Kathryn Miree and Jeff Comfort)

  "How to Identify, Hire and Retain the 'Perfect' Planned Giving Officer," (Kathryn Miree)

  "The Six Faces of Gift-planning Officers," (Kathryn Miree, Planned Giving Today, December 2013)

  FREE "A Nonprofit Organization's Guide to Engaging an Executive Search Firm," Bridgespan Group

 Building Sustainable "Best in Class" Fundraising Teams (Steve Goodner)

  CGP Career Center

Checklist

  There is a standard format for submitting call reports

  Call reports are audited by managers at least twice a year

Checklist

  Fundraisers meet with their managers at least monthly to report progress on individual prospects and review portfolios

  The organization uses a process or system of relationship management and fundraisers receive training on this system

  Prospects for deferred gifts and asset-based giving are identified in a collaborative way across departments and fundraisers

Tools

 FREE "The ABCs of Major and Planned Gift Portfolio Management," (Linda Speed and Kelly Wesley Taylor)

 SIGNALS -- A Deliberate Approach to Discovery and Assessment of a New Prospect (Dan Shephard)

 Effective Cultivation Techniques: The Ties That Bind (Anne Melvin)

 Best Practice in Prospect Management Policies and Procedures (APRA/AASP Best Practices)

  Getting Started in Charitable Gift Planning: Approaching Prospects (Brian Sagrestano and Robert Wahlers--book excerpt)

  Getting Started in Charitable Gift Planning (Resource Book): Prospect Interaction, (Brian Sagrestano and Robert Wahlers--book excerpt)

 10 Success Factors of Mid-Level Giving,  Moves Management (Angie More, nonprofitpro.com 2016)

Checklist

  Donor data management processes are audited at least annually

  Staff receive training on use of donor management system at least annually

  CRM system and processes track the following data points at minimum:

• meaningful/substantive contacts with donors

• count and value for all gifts closed (including revocable and irrevocable deferred)

• count and value for noncash gifts

Tools

  Using Your Nonprofit CRM: A Guide to Donor Data Management (yourcause.com)

Checklist

The following expenses are budgeted for:

  staff

  administrative support 

  integrated marketing across the nonprofit's footprint

  specific planned gift marketing

  prospect identification (wealth screening, etc.)

  donor engagement (travel and meetings) 

  external training, internal training

  professional memberships

  stewardship (events, travel, small tokens of recognition)

  professional advisor cultivation (newsletters, events, visits) 

  gift planning software

  external resources (consultants, advisors) 

Tools

 Mission Impossible? Planned Giving Results and Projection (Sharpe Group, Give & Take)