How to Launch a Planned Giving Program: Strategy & Tips

Planned giving is an important part of a robust nonprofit fundraising strategy. This diverse category of gifts can unlock growth for your organization, help you reach new prospects, and deepen your ties with donors. Yet kicking off with a well-thought-out planned giving strategy can be challenging for organizations, as this form of fundraising is unlike typical campaign-based annual fundraising drives.

To get started, development teams must first understand the basics. This quick guide will cover the essentials by answering the following key questions:

• What is planned giving?
• What are the benefits of planned giving?
• How do you establish a planned gift strategy?
• What are some helpful templates and resources for planned giving?

Developing a clear planned giving program strategy allows nonprofits to secure transformative future support, build institutional resilience, and establish sustainable long-term funding streams. By implementing structured gift policies, securing board governance buy-in, and standardizing administrative workflows, organizations of any size can launch a scalable legacy giving initiative from scratch.

Let’s dive in!

What is planned giving for nonprofits?

Planned giving consists of donations to nonprofits made through donors’ estates or financial plans. Organizations that pursue these gifts consistently do so through dedicated planned giving programs, which are often managed as part of or alongside their other development efforts like major gift fundraising.

Most planned gifts are bequests established in donors’ wills and disbursed after their passing. But planned giving is much more than bequests. In fact, it’s an extremely diverse category of gifts.

What are the common types of planned gifts?

In addition to bequests, planned giving includes donations like:

• Retirement plans and life insurance: A donor names a nonprofit as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or unused retirement assets.
• Charitable gift annuities: A donor gives a large donation in exchange for a fixed income payment. The nonprofit can invest these funds and keep any remaining funds when the annuity’s terms are up, or the donor passes away.
• Charitable remainder trusts: A donor gives a gift of cash or securities in exchange for an income payment of a percentage of the principal amount, which can be revalued and increased annually depending on the type of trust created.
• Charitable lead trusts: A donor makes payments to the nonprofit for a certain number of years or their lifetime. At the end of that term, the payments are returned to the donor or their beneficiaries.

Each type of planned gift brings different requirements and benefits, so the gift that a donor ultimately decides to make will hinge on several factors, including their financial situation and giving motivations. Some gifts will also work best for only certain types of high-impact donors.

Many nonprofits also pursue a variety of non-cash gifts alongside their planned giving programs since the processes of identifying these donors and setting up their gifts can be fairly similar. Popular non-cash gift options include:

• Grants from donor-advised funds
• Donations of real estate
• Gifts of private or public stock or mutual funds
• Gifts of cryptocurrency

Explore the additional resources at the end of this article to start learning more about these types of donations.

What is the state of planned giving today?

How much opportunity is there for nonprofits in planned giving today? Who creates planned gifts? Understanding the context and trends of this type of giving will empower your organization to create the best possible strategy.

Explore a few planned and legacy giving benchmarks here to begin:

• The total number of estate plans created increased by 12% over the previous year.
• 15% of those users chose to create a bequest gift—a total of 40,123 bequests adding up to a value of over $2.36 billion.
• The average size of a charitable bequest was $46,594.
• Younger will-makers are expressing an increased interest in bequests. Those aged 18-24 were the most likely to include a bequest in a will, and their average gift increased by over $9,000. Those aged 25-44 were the only other age segment to also increase their average gift value.
• Older will-makers still represent the largest groups involved in planned giving, with adults aged 65-84 committing 38% of all bequest dollars.

These trends are occurring within the larger phenomenon of the “Great Wealth Transfer,” an unprecedented transfer of assets from the aging Baby Boomer population to their heirs and charitable organizations—estimated to be around $68 trillion over the next 25 years.

Key takeaways: Donors are making wills and estate plans, especially as they age. If you’re not asking them to consider creating a planned gift, you’re missing out.

Considering the giving patterns of older donors, the Great Wealth Transfer, and younger generations enjoying or entering their prime working years, a robust planned giving strategy can generate significant revenue for your organization. You’ll just need to know how to talk about planned giving effectively, starting with its benefits.

What are the benefits of planned giving?

Planned giving can help both the donor and the nonprofit in significant ways. Let’s take a closer look.

Benefits for Donors

• Planned gifts allow donors to create lasting legacies and impact on the missions that they care about and/or have been meaningful for their families.
• These donations are also highly flexible, giving donors the option of designating specific purposes for the funds and updating their instructions over time.
• Planned gifts often also bring significant tax benefits for donors, usually relating to estate taxes, which can be a major motivator for some. However, the exact tax implications of planned gifts can vary widely, so it’s crucial to avoid giving donors explicit advice and instead direct them to professionals to confirm the specifics.

Benefits for Nonprofits

• Planned giving is inherently meaningful and can greatly deepen relationships between your organization and its donors when thoughtfully stewarded.
• Financially speaking, planned gifts can be extremely helpful for nonprofits. They’re often much larger than typical cash donations, and they’re usually unrestricted. A planned giving program can create a predictable, dependable source of general funding.
• Planned gifts are also more accessible to more donors than cash gifts of the same value—while you might have only a handful of donors who can give a major cash gift, there’s a good possibility that you have more donors who could give the equivalent through saved assets.
• Effective stewardship strategies have also been shown to increase annual donations from committed planned donors over time.

How do you establish a planned giving strategy?

Your organization should spend time creating a strategy for its planned giving program before getting started asking for these gifts. Follow these steps to successfully execute your program:

Organize and educate your teams.

Decide your goals and determine who will lead your planned giving efforts (usually a member of your development or fundraising department). Educate the members of your fundraising, marketing, or communications teams and any other staff who will play roles in your program.

Build the foundation; secure board governance & leadership buy-in.

A successful program launch requires explicit approval, strategic backing, and active participation from the board of directors. Board members serve as fiduciary stewards of the organization, and their endorsement signals institutional stability to prospective legacy donors. Securing buy-in involves presenting a clear business case that highlights how legacy giving mitigates long-term financial risk without depleting current operational resources.

To formalize this commitment, the board of directors must pass an official resolution establishing the planned giving program. This resolution grants leadership the authority to accept deferred gifts, establish dedicated accounting funds, and execute necessary administrative protocols.

Craft a detailed gift acceptance policy.

Gift Acceptance Policies (GAP) serve as an operational framework, protecting the organization from liabilities associated with burdensome, restricted, or illiquid gifts. Without defined guidelines, an organization risks accepting assets that cost more to liquidate or maintain than their actual market value, such as contaminated real estate or highly restricted closely held stock.

A comprehensive Gift Acceptance Policy defines which assets the organization will accept automatically, which require special board review, and which must be declined outright. It establishes standard valuation criteria, legal counsel review triggers, and clear rules regarding donor restrictions.

Furthermore, administrative policies must outline how realized estate funds are distributed internally. Organizations should specify what percentage of unrestricted estate gifts goes into long-term endowment reserves versus immediate capital projects or operational contingencies, ensuring clear fiscal management across board transitions.

Prepare a step-by-step launch timeline.

Launching a program requires a methodical sequence of actions spread over a multi-month timeline. Marketing complex gift structures immediately without proper backend infrastructure leads to administrative confusion, slow donor response times, and potential compliance issues. A structured timeline breaks the launch into distinct phases focused on readiness, messaging, and outreach.

• Phase 1: Infrastructure and governance (Months 1–2)
  • Secure board authorization and pass the program resolution.
  • Draft and ratify comprehensive Gift Acceptance Policies.
  • Prepare standardized bequest language (sample codicil clauses) for attorneys and donors.
  • Establish dedicated legal and accounting oversight relationships.
• Phase 2: Marketing integration and collateral (Months 3–4)
  • Publish a clear, accessible legacy givers landing page on the organization’s domain or dedicated microsite.
  • Update digital transaction confirmations and print collateral to include subtle bequest prompts.
  • Create downloadable informational guides detailing simple estate planning options.
  • Integrate legacy interest check-boxes into standard annual giving forms and surveys.
• Phase 3: Direct outreach and legacy society rollout (Months 5–6)
  • Analyze CRM donor history to identify long-term, loyal contributors (donors with 5+ years of continuous support regardless of gift size).
  • Launch a formal Legacy Society to recognize individuals who have included the organization in their estate plans. This can cultivate a feeling of community and inclusion in your organization, especially if it comes with perks like public acknowledgment or access to special events.
  • Conduct personalized outreach to loyal donors, board alumni, and long-standing volunteers.
  • Establish an annual stewardship cadence to keep legacy society members informed and engaged.

Executing this phased roadmap keeps internal teams aligned and prevents operational bottlenecks. By building the legal, financial, and digital foundation first, the organization ensures that when marketing outreach generates donor inquiries, every request is handled efficiently and professionally.

Gather the right tools.

Scaling a legacy giving initiative without expanding administrative overhead requires modern donor capture technology and automated CRM integration. Identifying legacy donors often relies on tracking subtle behaviors, such as consistent micro-donations over time, frequent visits to planned giving webpages, or engagement with estate planning resources.

However, you’ll need tools to market your program, track donation data, and help donors set up their planned gifts. Look for a planned giving platform that gives donors free will creation tools and provides you with the data you need to follow up and steward your relationships with them over time.

Identify potential candidates and work on stewarding them over time.

When looking for prospects, start with those most dedicated to your cause, including board members, volunteers, and longtime donors. Ask about their awareness of and interest in planned giving (and if they’ve already created a planned gift). Use these responses to build an initial prospect list, get a sense of their shared characteristics, and refine your approach as you learn more.

As you begin asking for and receiving planned gifts, actively work to keep those donors involved and engaged. Learn more about why they choose to give to inform your future strategies.

Don’t be afraid to start small. Your planned giving program can grow. By beginning with a targeted focus on simpler gifts like bequests, you can lay out an effective framework for eventually asking for more complex planned gifts or different types of non-cash gifts over time.

The key is to keep learning more and refining your approach as you go. Your development team already likely follows best practices for conducting prospect research, qualifying donors, building relationships, and stewarding donors. Use and adapt these strategies to your new planned giving goals.

What are some helpful templates and resources for planned giving?

BOARD RESOLUTION OF [NONPROFIT NAME] 
ESTABLISHING A PLANNED GIVING PROGRAM

WHEREAS, [Nonprofit Name] is committed to securing its long-term financial stability and advancing its mission to [briefly state mission]; and

WHEREAS, planned giving offers supporters a meaningful way to provide lasting support through bequests, trusts, and other estate planning vehicles;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of [Nonprofit Name] hereby approves the creation of an official Planned Giving Program.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that:
1. The Executive Director and Development Staff are authorized to actively promote and cultivate planned gifts, including bequests, beneficiary designations, and charitable trusts.
2. All planned gifts shall be administered in accordance with [Nonprofit Name]’s established Gift Acceptance Policy.
3. Unless otherwise designated by the donor, legacy gifts received shall be directed to [Nonprofit Name]’s Endowment Fund [or Board-Restricted Reserve Fund] to support long-term organizational sustainability.

Passed and adopted this [Date] day of [Month], [Year].

Board Chair Signature: ___________________________ Date: ____________
Secretary Signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________

GIFT ACCEPTANCE POLICY: PLANNED GIFTS AND BEQUESTS

1. Purpose
This policy governs the acceptance of planned gifts made to [Nonprofit Name]. It ensures that all gifts align with our mission and ethical fundraising standards.

2. Outright Bequests
* [Nonprofit Name] accepts bequests from wills and revocable trusts.
* Donors are encouraged to support unrestricted general operations to give the organization maximum flexibility.
* Restricted bequests will be reviewed by the Executive Director and Board Treasurer prior to acceptance to ensure the restriction aligns with organizational capacities and programs.

3. Beneficiary Designations
* [Nonprofit Name] accepts designations as a beneficiary of retirement plans (e.g., 401(k), IRA), life insurance policies, and commercial annuities.

4. Real Estate and Tangible Personal Property
* Planned gifts involving real estate, closely held stock, or physical property must be reviewed by the Board of Directors prior to formal acceptance.
* The review will assess potential liabilities, carrying costs, marketability, and environmental risks.

5. Legal and Financial Counsel
* [Nonprofit Name] urges all prospective donors to seek independent legal and financial advice when drafting estate plans.
* Staff members shall not draft legal documents or serve as executors for donor estates.

Final thoughts on developing your planned giving strategy

Launching a successful planned giving program requires a strong foundation, clear policies, and the right tools. By setting up board governance, creating gift acceptance guidelines, and following a phased roadmap, your organization can turn long-time donor loyalty into long-term financial strength.

Using technology to capture donor intent makes it easy to grow your legacy pipeline without adding heavy administrative work to your team. Over time, these future estate commitments create a reliable financial cushion. That stability ensures your nonprofit can fulfill its mission for generations to come.

Interested in additional resources? Check out these recommendations from our team:

• Planned & Legacy Giving Statistics ⁠— Learn more about the state of planned giving today, and what the future of legacy gifting is expected to hold.
• Moves Management — Examine the basics of how to keep track of donor interactions as you work towards a specific goal like creating a planned gift.
• Nonprofit Basics – Discover more nonprofit management and fundraising essentials by exploring our other introductory guides and glossary entries.