How to Include Planned Gifts in a Campaign -- One Charity's Story

Recently, I have received a number of questions about how to include planned gifts in a capital campaign. On my latest trip, I met Shannon Skinner, a gift planner with The University of New Mexico Foundation (UNM). Shannon shared with me how UNM is promoting planned gifts as part of its Changing Worlds campaign.

The goal of Changing Worlds: The Campaign for UNM is to raise $675 million over eight years, ending in 2014 in conjunction with the University’s 125th anniversary. The campaign is intended to raise support for students, faculty and research activities and new facilities at the UNM campus.

UNM has counted planned gifts from the very start of its campaign. During the initial phase of the campaign, the UNM planned giving office focused on bequests and gift annuities, marketing these gift opportunities as way to help donors satisfy philanthropic goals while achieving tax and income benefits. UNM now has a 12-month planned gifts marketing plan in place and will offer a variety of planned gifts (including charitable remainder trusts) in the coming year.

Web & Email

Shannon says that UNM has found its planned giving website to be an effective tool for reaching a new segment of donors during the campaign. The UNM website includes an online guide for planning your will, videos on the benefits of wills versus trusts and other planning considerations and downloadable bequest brochures. Shannon says that UNM has received numerous requests for information and bequest commitments in response to wills planning information included on its website http://www.unmgift.org/ and in its weekly donor eNewsletters.

Read my blog next week to learn more about UNM’s campaign efforts and how you can include planned giving in your next campaign. If planned gifts are already part of your organization's campaign, please share your story with me kristen@cresmail.com.