PROTOTYPE Using Data Effectively to Strengthen Your Gift Planning Program-Recording: Using Data Effectively

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar introduced CGP’s technology series and speaker Joe Bull, who explained how nonprofit gift planners can use data to strengthen their programs. He emphasized that data should be “data-informed,” combining quantitative information with intuition and qualitative insight. He discussed the importance of speaking the same language as database managers and learning to pull useful data directly.<br /><br />Bull used a “three-legged stool” framework to show how data can help gift planning in three ways: justify more budget and support, demonstrate program impact, and identify new prospects. He highlighted demographic and actuarial trends, especially the aging baby boomer population and the coming wealth transfer, to argue for expanded gift planning investment. He cited research showing that charitable bequests do not reduce annual giving and often increase it, and that planned giving is resilient even during economic downturns.<br /><br />He then explained how organizations can report gift planning impact using CGP’s gift-counting categories: outright gifts, irrevocable planned gifts, and revocable planned gifts. He encouraged tracking internal data such as legacy society membership, bequest intentions, realized bequests, and donor engagement metrics.<br /><br />Bull also shared ways to identify prospects without wealth screening, including mining contact reports for planned-gift language, reviewing consistent donors, volunteers, retirees, DAF donors, QCD donors, and major gift donors. He stressed stewardship, noting that the only will that matters is the donor’s last will, and encouraged use of legacy societies and written confirmations of planned gifts.<br /><br />The session ended with Q&A on legacy societies and documenting verbal commitments.

Keywords

planned giving

gift planning

data-informed

legacy society

bequest intentions

nonprofit fundraising

donor stewardship

wealth transfer

prospect identification

charitable bequests