Filtering your donor file one criterion at a time will miss people
At the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) 2026 conference, we presented a session that challenged a deceptively simple idea: your donors are already telling you they’re interested in legacy giving. The question is whether you know how to listen.
Our session, Signals of Intent: Reading Your Donor Data for Hidden Clues to Planned Giving Interest, introduced a framework for identifying legacy prospects that goes well beyond the traditional “long-tenured donor” filter. But first, what do we mean by a signal? A signal is an indication or factor that suggests a donor may be interested in, or display characteristics associated with, potential legacy giving intent. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: filtering your donor file one criterion at a time will miss people. Good people. Ready people.
Using LEGO as a metaphor to walk through each concept, we explored nine distinct signals across two categories: gift-based signals (the quantitative stuff, like tenure, frequency, recency, and multi-appeal behaviour) and non-gift signals (the qualitative clues, like how donors engage with your content, what they talk about, and what their life stage suggests).
The key insight? None of these signals proves legacy intent on its own, but, when patterns emerge across multiple signals, you’re no longer guessing, you’re observing and you can take action.
A moment that resonated with the room was the reminder that donors who ask about long-term impact, mention their values, or bring up family and the future aren’t just making small talk. They may be signalling readiness for a deeper conversation. If you’re not paying attention, a fundraiser may miss the signs.
Couldn’t be in Winnipeg with us? No worries. We’re unpacking each signal in detail across a two-part free webinar series on May 6 and May 13, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST.
Register to attend the webinar
Sigrid Penner is a data and fundraising strategist and founder of Focus Further Solutions. She works with nonprofit leaders to translate donor data into actionable insight, helping organizations move from reporting on what happened to deciding what to do next. Her work focuses on identifying meaningful signals in donor behaviour to strengthen strategy, improve performance, and support long-term financial resilience.
LigiaPeña is an international legacy expert, consultant and speaker with more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is president of Globetrotting Fundraiser and is currently working on her Ph.D. at the University of Kent, researching how trust and confidence influence legacy fundraising.
