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The Science (and Art) of  Planned Giving Marke9ng 

June 2013 Anne T. Melvin, Deputy Director of Gi; Planning and FAS EducaCon and Training Program Manager 

“Half my advertising budget

is wasted. The trouble is, I don’t know

which half.” William Hesketh Lever, the First Lord Leverhulme (better known as one half

of the Lever Brothers duo)

“We find that adver9sing works the way the grass grows. You can never see it, but every week you have to mow the lawn.”  ‐ Andy 

Tarshis  

•  Plan your work, then work your plan   

•  Magic vs. Metrics  

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Month to Drop Drop Date

Actual Drop

Piece Audience # Mailed

July July July PDFs for CRT only As requested by prospects: keep on hand in the office.

400 CRT September (NEW)

Sept Secured Pledge post 50th reunion classes, proposals where appropriate. NOT sent in a mail appeal unless requested by HCF officers

1,500 September 1-Sep JHS Newsletter (short) HC/Radcliffe/HC widows 1900-1988 (20th

reunion). 64,000 GSAS 1900-1995 (HC + 7) 19,000 For international HC/GSAS, only Mexico and

Canada.

Mail to ALL members of JHS whereever worldwide (@ 75-100) 83,250

October 15-Oct #1D Group CRT: GSAS 1995-1965 NO GIVING LIMIT

#1A Group GA. HC/Radcliffe/HC widows 1957-1943 lifetime >$500 (51st -65th reunions) included in number

below #1B Group GA. GSAS ONLY 1964-1950 (no joint

HC/GSAS) NO GIVING LIMIT 12,987

#1C Group CRT: HC/Radcliffe/widows 1988-1958 lifetime donors >$500 (20th-50th)

35,757

included in number above 1-Nov #2 Group GA. HC/Widows '58 only (50th reunion)

(GA) 1,179

Mexico and Canada only for International; include ALL for 40th, 45th, 50th, 55th, and 60th even if <$500 lifetime. Make sure you de-dup the joint HC/GSAS candidates

49,923

Content holes? 

Annual Fund Check-off boxes

Bequest Society Newsletter • Roster printing

Spring email To younger

constituency Thanksgiving Card From Class Bequest

Chair

Thank you note From class chair

Annual Fund List of realized

bequests

Bequest Society Luncheon

Newsletter Profiles • Winter

• Fall

Bequests Class reunion Leadership meetings

1:1 meetings

50th, 60th, 65th

Reunion flyers

Legacy Pledges

BuJons…are there holes?        “What really gets 

people to make a gi; is……”  

      How am I markeCng 

this?        Is there a hole that 

needs plugging?  

     What do I NOT need?        Is it manageable and 

sustainable?  

Income tax deduction

Give back/ Leave legacy

Endowment option CRT

Make a difference

Peer recognition Peer comparison

Affiliation/Bandwagon Reunion

Income

Mission

Buttons

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View from 10,000 feet: pipeline  

•  How am I markeCng this?  

•  Is there a hole that needs plugging?  

 What do I not NEED?   •  Is it manageable and 

sustainable? 

Attract Donors

Educate Prospects

Close Gifts

Stewardship

View from 10,000 feet overlay: customer‐oriented marke9ng 

•  Every piece you draQ: what need are you sa9sfying?  •  Market benefits/not features  •  CGA: Want secure, fixed income if you’re elderly? •  CRUT/CGA: Need to plan for reArement? •  CRUT: Want a growing income over Ame? •  Lead Trust: Want to move your wealth downstream? 

Buttons

Pipeline: Attract/educate/close/steward

Responding to opportunities Customer oriented

Content: Beq/GA/CRT

Overlays 

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Why do people make planned giQs?  Primary reason for giQ: listed 

Secondary reason for giQ: “assist”   •  8 Direct mail moCvated gi;s: 7 + 1 = 8 

–  ChaSield/ Dworken /Ozer / Simmons / Bender / Dixon / Sands –  1 Assist (Goldman)  

•  7 Income moCvated gi;s: 1 + 6 = 7 –  Michele and Rick: hadn’t been excep9onally generous before –  6 Assists: (Cha\ield / Fannie / Brownstein / Ozer / Simmons / Gabe & Muriel)  

•  5 Reunion moCvated gi;s: 4 + 1 = 5 –  Rienzi / CuJer / Goldman / Lawrence –  1 Assist (Bender)  

•  4 Mission moCvated gi;s 1 + 3 = 4    (halo effect??) –  Mary & Terry –  3 Assists: (Rienzi / Dworken / Lawrence) 

Why do people make planned giQs?  Primary reason for giQ: listed 

Secondary reason for giQ: “assist”   

 •  4 Timing moCvated gi;s: 1+ 3 = 4 

–  Brownstein: $1M DGA. Had been discussing CRUT for years. –  3 Assists (CuJer / Mary & Terry / Michele & Rick) 

•  3 One‐off gi;s (other): 3 –  June: stock w/unknown basis –  Denenholz: IRA to Roth conversion –  Lawyer: Paying off pledge balance  

•  3 Repeat Offender gi;s: 1 + 2 = 3               (Dave Clayman) –  Fannie –  2 assists (June / Dixon)  

•  2 Shoe leather (visits): 1+ 1 = 2 –  Gabe and Muriel: give aQer every 9me I visit –  1 assist (Denenholz) 

The Direct Mail  40/40/20 Success Rule 

•  40%: Mailing to correct segment 

•  40%: Gejng the message right  

•  20%: ExecuCon, design, wording 

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SEGMENT: Younger donors?  

Number of New Donors by Age FY 2007

70-7946%

80-8915%

30-391% 40-49

6%50-595%

60-6927%

•  Only 7% of NEW donors are age 30‐50 

SEGMENT:  5 year’s worth of data CGAs Age: $ FAS FY06‐10   

30‐49 2% 

50‐59  0% 

60‐69 7% 

70‐79 18% 

80‐89   71% 

90+  2% 

30‐49 

50‐59 

60‐69 

70‐79 

80‐89 

90+ 

SEGMENT: Five year’s worth of AGE data  $ FAS FY06‐10 CRTs 

 

•  88%  of the dollars coming from ages 60‐90+ •  60% of the dollars are coming from 60‐79 year olds 

 90+ band had an "outlier giK" skewing the results: a $13 million testamentary CRUT (Non alumni Herschel Smith) . It would be 10% of total giKs w/o that outlier 

 

30‐49   5% 

50‐59 7% 

60‐69    32% 

70‐79,    28% 

80‐89 5% 

90+ 23% 

30‐49 

50‐59 

60‐69 

70‐79 

80‐89 

90+ 

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SEGMENT Five year’s worth of AGE data FAS FY06‐10 PIFs:  

 50‐59   2%  60‐69   

 5%  70‐79    6% 

80‐89 85% 

90+   2% 

30‐49 

50‐59 

60‐69 

70‐79 

80‐89 

90+ 

70‐79 33% 80‐89 

 67% 

SEGMENT AGE: 5 year’s worth of data  $ FAS FY06‐10 Lead Trusts 

70‐79 

80‐89 

40%: Gejng the message right  •  Income 

•  Stability/fixed income/rock‐solid 

•  Mission 

•  Income tax deduc9on 

•  Passing money downstream 

•  News: IRA rollover / tax law changes / changes in giQ annuity rates / IRA to Roth conversions 

 •  Tax‐free income 

•  K.I.S.S: one idea per mailing (Harvard’s mistake with TE and EO) 

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20%: Execu9on, design, wording …..the ART  

Get in the door: arres9ng visuals 

    One quarter of a second to get their aJen9on; about 5 seconds aQer that to read it. 

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Arres9ng  visuals 

Bait the hook.   Don’t make them drink from a fire hose! 

Print Ads  Andy Goodman:  Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes 

 www.agoodmanonline.com 

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What Mo9vates People?  

•  1st RecogniCon  • 2nd Access to power  • 3rd Money 

         Response Rates  

FY 09 Marketing Summary Fall 2008

Newsletter Fall 2008 Mail Appeal CGA

Fall 2008 CGA Email

Fall 2008 Appeal CRT

Fall 2008 CRT Email

Reunion Flyers

2008 IRA Rollover Email

2008 BatchCal CGA postcard

2008 Batchcalc Letter

Total sent 56,712 * 13,942 3,310 41,342 24,452 6,044 8,703 11,079 264

"Please send me LIG proposal 35 8 7 25 19 4 4 5 4

Yield 0.06% 0.06% 0.21% 0.06% 0.08% 0.06% 0.05% 0.05% 1.50%

Bequests New Bequest Intentions 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Repeat Bequest Communication 8 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 Requested legal language 2 2 2 5 6 0 0 0 0

Response Rates   

FY 09 Marketing Summary 2009 Bequest Email

Winter 2009 Newslett

er Spring 2009

CRT mailing

Spring 2009 CGA

mailing Spring 2009

Email CGA

Spring 2009 mailing

DGA Spring 2009

Email DGA

Total sent 7,395 56,427 21,005 11,100 6,027 10,539 8,278

"Please send me LIG proposal 0 21 2 9 1 5 2

Yield 0% 0.04% 0.01% 0.08% 0.01% 0.04% 0.02%

Bequests

New Bequest Intentions 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 Repeat Bequest

Communication 1 14 0 1 0 0 0

Requested legal language 0 9 0 0 0 2 0