Two easy questions
Would your congregation or charity like to have more funds to carry out its mission in the world? I’m guessing the answer is “yes!”
Would your charity benefit from receiving gifts in wills? Again, the answer is probably “yes.”
One hard question
Now a tougher question: has your charity actually asked its supporters to leave a bequest in their wills to support the good work of the organization?
Let me guess - good intentions but so many things to do! The budget needs money this year, not some year. Special events demand lots of time; reports are complex and time-consuming. There are structural issues. However, people who find asking for gifts in wills to be off-putting remains a big barrier.
Fear factor: Personal finance
I’ve met leaders who were flat-out terrified to talk about gifts in wills. My hunch is that their own financial houses were not in order and they projected their own fears onto others. Silence and shame around money makes this situation all the more difficult. My fictional congregation of Peach Blossom Church addresses this situation well, order a copy of my book to read more.
Fear factor: It’s ghoulish to talk about wills
Even people who are not struggling in their personal finances might find it ghoulish to ask people to leave a gift in their will. Paul Nazareth from the CAGP - Canadian Association of Gift Planners - presented a high-energy webinar on gift planning for small shops recently. He reminded everyone that the charitable sector needs to make it less weird to talk about people making a gift in their will. Yes!
Donors to your charity have already shown they think your organization is important. They gave! Most people have a will. The pandemic has been a busy time for estate planning. Donors are people who care about your organization. And they know they are mortal - it’s okay to ask them to be generous in their will!
People around here can’t afford to give
Statistics Canada published data from its Survey of Financial Security this month. As anyone paying attention to the housing market already knows, housing wealth is a growing asset. Unattached women over 65 have experienced gains in housing wealth and have more retirement pension assets than unattached female seniors did in 1999. A bequest will be many people’s largest giving opportunity. (Fun fact: If your kids are your beneficiaries, they get the charitable tax credit.)
True Story: Joyful Generosity
Organizing a bequest celebration was the most joyful fundraising event I’ve ever been part of. Peach Blossom Church holds a similar event in my book because I cannot think of a better way to be remembered by friends and family. Honouring and celebrating bequest gifts provides a lovely way to encourage other such gifts. Like otter and frog, assume that kind and generous people who care about your organization are willing to consider a bequest.
Dr. Lori Guenther Reesor recently published Growing a Generous Church: A Year in the Life of Peach Blossom Church which is available through her website at www.lgreesor.com. She is a veteran of church basement conversations and countless cups of coffee from urns, through her Doctor of Ministry research into Christian giving and her consulting practice.
She notes that Church folks might also be interested in these blog posts:
