Support from the Top | Standard 3

Each member of the nonprofit’s management team is committed to relationship-based, collaborative fundraising and sees gift planning as an integral part of the donor experience across all lines of fundraising.

Checklist

  Fundraising expectations, roles and responsibilities for managers, executives and volunteer leaders are clearly documented 

  All fundraisers, adjacent staff and volunteer leaders receive training on planned and noncash gifts at least annually

  All fundraisers have goals and metrics that encourage them to engage all donors in gift planning conversations

Tools

  FREE Sharing the Legacy: Promoting Gift Planning Through Trustee Engagement (Nancy Baker and Abby Favro)

  Engaging the Board in Planned Giving: Governance and Marketing (Kathryn Miree)

  Making Your Board an Effective Partner on your Fundraising Team (Julia Ingraham Walker)

  Board Fundraising Policy: Key Elements, Practical Tips, and Sample Policy (BoardSource)

Support from the Top | Standard 5

Management sets clear and realistic goals, strategies, and tactics that are designed to encourage and recognize collaboration across all lines of fundraising.

Checklist

  Annual and/or campaign goals include separate and realistic goal for planned gift commitments

  Fundraiser crediting policy encourages collaboration, not competition

Tools

  FREE Integrating Planned & Major Gifts: Jazzy but Hard to Dance To? (T. Joseph McKay, Gordon Smith, Ashley Buderus)

  The "Plan" in Planned Giving...a Long and Short Three-Year Action Plan (Pamela Davidson)

  Creating a Fundraising Plan: A Step by Step Guidebook (Nonprofit Learning Lab)

 Creating Your Development Plan: What Does the Plan Look Like? (Margaret Guellich and Lynda Lysakowski--book excerpt)

The Ability and Capacity to Execute | Standard 11

The nonprofit has qualified staff in place to drive and support the gift planning process.

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

Donor-Centric Engagement and Management | Standard 13

All donors and prospects are offered timely, accurate gift planning information to ethically maximize the donor’s charitable impact and personal benefit.

Checklist

  The organization formally endorses the Donor Bill of Rights and CGP Model Standards of Practice for the Charitable Gift Planner

  All fundraisers receive training on planned gift tools and techniques and ethical issues at least quarterly

  Donor-focused information about gift planning opportunities is included on the organization’s web site and in print materials 

  Internal resources (staff, web site, mailings, gift illustration software etc.) and external resources (technical advisors) are available to answer donor questions

Tools

  FREE How to Train Your DO: Deploy an Army of Skilled Gift Planners (Katherine Kotlzrczyk)

  Training Boot Camp (Alexandria Brovey)

  Model Standards of Practice for the Charitable Gift Planner (National Association of Charitable Gift Planners)

  Donor Bill of Rights (Association of Fundraising Professionals)

Donor-Centric Engagement and Management | Standard 16

The nonprofit has a donor-centric culture that meets the needs of each donor.

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)