Welcome toMarketing Your Planned Giving

Program

Please take this time before the start of the session to silence your cell phone or pager. Pager? Do people still have

Pagers? Maybe if you’re a drug dealer.

Your feedback is valuable. At the end of the session, we ask that you take a moment to complete an evaluation

form.Thank you.

Kurt MischeKOCE, Huntington

Beach, CA

Jon MiskowskiWisconsin Public

Television

Shelley MitchellNew Hampshire Public

Television

The Excuses•Reasons why you don’t

– Lack staff– Other priorities– No immediate net revenue– Complicated – Only use % of your endowment– and yucky!

You Do Have Prospects• What Experts Say You Need

Years of Quality Service with a Future Passion for your service Long giving relationships – 15 Yrs or more Tools to Communicate Your Message

= Public Television

• You Get What You Ask For • Concerns about Membership Growth• 12% of WPT Members are 80+

The Yucky Part• Internal Marketing Case

– Resource Question – even more yucky than death• Scalable and can grow

– Start with a marketing plan -- promotion for bequests

– Comfort • Advocates

– Board members, current folks who have made the decision, planned giving professionals in your area, documented success at other stations

– Patience• Payoff over time.

What Happens In New Hampshire

Initial Marketing Steps

Building From the Ground Up

External Marketing• Make sure key messaging is

utilized across all station communication platforms ~ Print ~ On-Air Promos ~ Letters ~ Website ~ Events ~ Staff & Board

Marketing InternallyTo Get Things Done

Use of Expectancy List

What Happened In Vegas

Use all of the resources available to you consistently!

• Professional advisor group• Seminars—your own and jointly—promoted on-air

and in print • Visions newsletter/regular communications• On-line presence• On-air announcements with donors and advisors—

not just national announcements—seasonal• On-air program

Think globally-promote philanthropy overall

• Brochures • Mail—buck slips, reply slip on membership mail• Pledge script, roll-in• Program guide articles & ads• Station events• Partnerships—Community Foundations, NCPG, AFP,

Estate Planning Council• On-going recognition of donors

What Happens in Wisconsin

Guiding Principals• A bequest is a carefully considered decision

driven by vision, highest ideals, emotion and a donors life experience.

• Donors want the information when they want the information. Not one month before and god knows not one month after.

• A planned gift is a gift to the future based on community impact. We will tell of our successful past and our promising future.

• Model, model, model– I didn’t know WPT could accept a gift like that– I could do that!

• Ask, ask, ask.

Marketing Structure1. Asking to include WPT in will or estate plans

The simple drum beat promotion for bequests. Develop a few basic instruments like a PG slug, tag line & planned giving story to work into these and other venues: Member Survey, Web site, renewal check off, pledge drives, on-air, program guide column, membership acknowledgments, slug on letterhead and more.

2. Heritage SocietyUsing HS member profiles and member listing to promote participation and set an example for others: Annual event w/ article in program guide, listing in Annual report and program guide, regular columns in major donor newsletter, listing & articles in volunteer newsletter and more.

3. Bequests & Intentions Are News -- ModelingBequests--and memorial gifts--present a “news” opportunity. Execute a simple promotional plan for each planned gift we receive to see that we take advantage of this “news” to encourage others. Airwaves slug or article, article in Directors Circle and Volunteer newsletters, building signage, on-air recognition and more.

4. Face to face solicitationIdentify, visit and solicit key prospects. Use Friends board and Planned Giving Committee to bolster solicitations. Since any planned gift is a personal decision, WPT will offer print materials in donor mailings and a robust planned giving website to allow donors to explore opportunities privately. Most significantly we will use the power and reach of our membership mailings and our broadcasts to communicate to key friends and hundreds of thousands of viewers about the opportunity of bequests and planned gifts.

Intentions are Just the Start We will work to honor, recognize, thank and listen to our Heritage Society members We will work to meet them, communicate regularly and learn about their interests and cultivate them to sustain their commitment and encourage more meaningful planned giving opportunities.

Intensely Personal and Sometimes Feels

Complicated• Promote Action

– Generate Inquiries•Have clear and inspiring materials• Follow up Phone Calls and Visits

– Anonymous Source of Information• Inquiries from Lawyers – print materials• Web site

Estate Attorney/Board Member on reviewing our Planned Giving

brochure:

“I think everything here is factually correct.”

On Air• Visions Spots and Our Own Spots• Mention Frequently During Pledge

Drives– Volunteers Ask When Taking Pledge – Planned Giving Pledge Breaks!

Special Days• Christmas Day focus

– PG spots in every programming break

• New Years Day – Day of Memory, Honor &

Thinking about the Future

Focus in every programming break on bequests with hosted day, visions spots and honor roll.

Helpful Resources• Visions – PBS/Sharp

– Quarterly Newsletter on Gift Planning– Integrated Print & On Air Materials

• MGI -- http://majorgivingnow.org/• Other Station Web sites• Your PBS Colleagues• Local Planned Giving Councils

Think of it as your Planned Giving Resource Center

Things to Know, Things to Do, and Things That Work step by step to get you underway.

Resources a wealth of proven marketing tools that you can put to work right now.

Ask the Experts gives you quick access to people who can help you.

Understanding Your Role how planned gift marketing fits into your overall fundraising strategy.

Success Stories shows you just how important planned giving is to many stations.

•CPB’s PG Now http://www.pg-now.org/