A Time to Empower, Inspire, and Secure the Future: October’s National Estate Planning Awareness Campaign
CDP and Giving Docs are working together to help public media organizations seize the tremendous fundraising opportunity of planned giving. We invited Giving Docs’ Client Success Manager Ali Hay, a seasoned fundraiser and consultant, to pen a guest blog post. Over the last few years, Ali has served as a trusted advisor to more than 30 local public media partners across the country. In her client success role, she continues to tap into nearly 20 years of development and nonprofit management experience to drive results and guide public media’s sometimes small yet always mighty development teams. With a wealth of donors who have a track record of generosity infused with longevity and frequency of giving, this post about October’s National Estate Planning Awareness campaign is well worth the time to read.
As a fundraiser in public media, you understand the power and impact trusted storytelling can have on individuals and our communities. A door opens during National Estate Planning Awareness Week, slated for October 21-27, to extend public media’s shared mission — to educate inform and inspire — by providing our most engaged supporters with the tools and resources they need to thoughtfully craft their estate plans and legacies into transformational results.
Estate planning isn't just about what happens after the day someone passes away; it's about making conscious decisions that reflect a person’s values and priorities in ways that make a difference into tomorrow. According to recent surveys, approximately 68% of Americans do not have wills or estate plans. Studies also show those with estate plans in place — especially earlier in life — are more likely to be happier, healthier, and wealthier throughout their remaining years. Fostering these conversations during National Estate Planning Awareness Week, and beyond, allows you to emphasize the confidence and comfort writing a will provides. By offering resources that help your supporters craft their plans, you empower them to secure their future and ensure peace of mind for themselves and the causes and people they hold dear. And by suggesting donors think about the potential of their legacies, you’re expanding the valuable resources public media organizations make available by delivering on their mission.
Educating your most engaged donors on the benefits of estate planning and planned giving via marketing and outreach can significantly bolster your philanthropic efforts. Donors can't make a legacy gift if they don't realize it's an option. National Estate Planning Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to run a multi-channel campaign that educates and encourages donors to act on the importance of estate planning.
Beyond National Estate Planning Awareness Week communications, consistent, strategic year-round marketing of legacy giving opportunities is essential to identify and grow more relationships with planned giving donors. As public media professionals, you know connecting with donors is about more than asking for financial support; it's about fostering relationships based on shared values and a commitment to creating a better world.
Online estate planning platforms are a powerful way to identify and increase your public media organization’s legacy supporters. These platforms provide essential planned and asset giving tools that are legally binding in all 50 states, making them a simple, straightforward way for audiences to support the people and causes they care about. At Giving Docs, we take a unique approach to our tools offering an easily understood, user-friendly way for your supporters to create a will that reflects their personal and philanthropic values. Offering tools like Giving Docs as a benefit can meaningfully add to development programs.
Fully leverage National Estate Planning Awareness Week to educate and support your viewers and listeners with the information and tools they need to thoughtfully champion the programs and services dear to their hearts. You can ensure your best donors understand the opportunity a legacy gift opens up for them. A National Estate Planning Awareness Campaign is about so much more than planned giving; it's about inviting your supporters to be part of a trusted storytelling that can and will always have relevance — a mission where their values and passions continue to inspire others well into the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about Giving Docs’ user-friendly online estate planning tools, contact us at cdp@cdpcommunity.org.