Blackbaud in the News: Discovering Hidden Potential

Lawrence Henze, managing director of Target Analytics shares his thoughts on planned giving trends in the January/February issue of Advancing Philanthropy, the member publication of AFP:

If you have ever heard the industry axiom that planned-giving prospects are both older and wealthy, you undoubtedly have realized that this most accurately describes only the tip of the planned-giving prospect iceberg.

Of course, it certainly is worth exploring the tip of that iceberg and the approximately 10 percent of the prospects who exist there, as these prospects are readily identifiable and capable of significant additional giving through planned gifts. Using today’s fundraising lexicon, these prospects are “low-hanging fruit.” You likely have established relationships with these donors, so it should be a natural extension of these relationships to include a planned-giving request since most major-gift donors are also valid planned-gift prospects.

However, most planned-giving prospects are submerged and have different characteristics, making it more difficult to identify them. Also, if these prospects are ever to consider a significant gift, most likely it will be through a planned-giving vehicle. This is a significant distinction, and it is important for fundraising staff to be aware that these individuals are first and foremost excellent planned-giving prospects.

To read the full article, check out the January/February issue of Advancing Philanthropy.