MARKETING

Ways to market your new web site or planned giving section without breaking the budget.

• If you have a program, such as theatres and symphonies provide their patrons, be sure and put a simple statement in EVERY ISSUE/COPY. Something like:
  • To help secure the future of worthwhile organization name, please consider a bequest or other planned gift. For more information, please see [website URL].

THOUGHT - whether or not you host the planned giving pages, talk to your webmaster about creating a subdomain for easy reference and then have your webmaster set it to point or link to your planned giving pages. . A subdomain looks like this - http://planned.organization.org, where organization.org is your normal URL. Planned is just my idea - you could use support, giving or anything else. For example, at futurefocus.net, a subdomain would be http://planned.futurefocus.net.

WHY DO THIS? - to make it easy for a donor to remember the URL.

QUESTIONS? - give me a call

Another THOUGHT on using your planned giving web pages from Helen Cheng at KPBS:
You might want to know that often as I talk to potential donors, they follow along with me on the web site, making comments about the planned giving information and reading along as I discuss various aspects of planned giving. Having the content in front of them as they talk on the phone is very helpful in the discussion and understanding of key points. In addition, I was recently discussing KPBS and our planned giving program with a local estate planning attorney who said that one of the most important things that a planned giving site can have is the organization legal name and tax identification number. It's a good feeling when someone tells you what is important to them to know that you have already taken care of it.

More Marketing ideas

• Establish A Bequest Society - A self-identification and marketing idea. If you have a generic named society, such a the Legacy Society, consider renaming it. Use a person's name who was instrumental in the founding or growth of the organization. Or, perhaps the first person who left you something in their will. The key is to have a name and a picture and a story (perhaps the heirs will be able to add to the story) so you can talk about passion and vision and foresight (What can you say about Legacy Society?). The allow everyone who has made a planned gift to you or let's you know in the next twelve months be listed as a founding member. Whether a new or an old society, send out well designed invitations with reply cards inviting donors to join. Mail to your loyal donors (consistent for the past 5 years - use what will be best for you) or, if you have age demographics, donors over 60. Refer to the web pages for more information.
• Contact all the local third party possibilities (accountants/CPAs/attorneys) and announce the site.

• Find something to send them to keep you in their mind - perhaps Donor e-mail would be useful. Perhaps offer to let them send it to their clients.
• Make a copy of the with and without a will (the "Consider This" link on your website) and print it on your letterhead with your contact information, the proper reference to Debra and the website address. Then give copies to allied professionals (CPAs, financial advisors etc.) to network and keep your name in front of them. If you do not have a copy of it or can't get one through your website, call me.
• Make sure the URL is on everyone's business card at the organization as well as part of the letterhead.
• About once a month one of my clients runs this on the front page of their website for a week. In the last six months (Nov, 2003), two people have contacted them to say this client is in their wills.

There are many ways to support CLIENT Have you considered including CLIENT in your estate plans? Are you confused about the many possible options of doing this? If so, you might find it useful to visit several new pages on our web site that provide information on wills/bequests, charitable gifts and trusts, and gifts of life insurance. Click here for more info (link).

• Make business cards up with the URL in the place normally used for the employee. Make a presentation to the board or involved folks, sponsors etc. and hand out several business cards to each, asking them to pass the cards to people they know who might have an interest in your mission or in becoming a potential supporter.
• If you use a newsletter or regular mailing, send out an announcement to your mailing list about the web site.
• Copy stories from the webpage into articles in your newsletters or put in Alumni magazine articles. Be sure and point back to the website.
• If you give seminars or presentations to groups, have a part of your site that contains information you cover in the presentation - sort of a "notes online section" - and refer the audience to it.
• If you have brochures, make sure the URL is in the brochure.
• Print "stickies" to attach to existing stocks of brochures and letterhead with a NEW! indicator and the URL.
• Most organizations have past board members and some do not always do a good job of "remembering them." It may be they are feeling a little forgotten. But, they are a great resource for planned giving. Send them the URL of this new marketing approach and ask for their feedback. It can open up a discussion with them about their circumstances.
• The same goes for past and current volunteers as well. Everybody likes being asked for feedback.
• Collect e-mail addresses whenever possible. Permission marketing through e-mail will be very valuable. For example, in all receipts sent, ask "Would you like to receive your receipt by e-mail in the future (and save us money)." Then when sending the receipt by e-mail, have small marketing pieces on it. Also ask for permission to send occasional pieces etc.