Get to Know the Bestow Community
I’m often asked by new and seasoned planned giving professionals alike, “What’s trending in planned giving?” The question is too large to answer in a few sentences, but there are a couple of “go-to” resources that I often recommend. Last month, I mentioned the Planned Giving Design Center (PGDC) because of its focus on charitable giving legislation and education. You can access the free resource at www.pgdc.com. Another stop would be Stelter Company’s Bestow Community. It’s marketed as a community space for professionals involved in cultivating planned gifts for nonprofits. But I call it “a one-stop surfing” site.
Grouped into four topical areas, the site provides blogs from people involved planned giving, links to industry reports and research, idea-sharing to move our efforts forward and a presentation download catalog focused on gift-planning subject matter. You’ll find a few of my contributions and presentations there, such as the popular “How to Talk with Donors about Planned Gifts”. Check out these resources that I found particularly interesting:
- Insight button: 7 Tips for Breakthrough Subject Lines that make Email more Effective by Convio
- Innovation button: Jesse Stremcha’s presentation on Social Networking and Planned Giving
- Ideas button: The Great Acknowledgement Swap – a collection of over 500 acknowledgment, stewardship, invitation and solicitation letters
- Inbox button: Navigate to page 2 of the Inbox listings for thoughts on how the economy is changing our sense of family, independence and planned giving marketing. Read: When I Grow Up, I Want to Live With Mom and Dad
Get to know more about Bestow Community by registering at http://www.bestowcommunity.org.
*Katherine Swank is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at [email protected].
