Your Organization Is Ready for Planned Giving — The Magic of a Blended Gift

We have a training that we’ve brought to many of our Team Kat & Mouse partner clients on the topic of nimble fundraising — ensuring that your organization’s fundraising can respond to changes in circumstances. These changes can be natural disasters (hurricanes), political disruptions (government shutdowns that impact funding), foundation sunset decisions, or even a board decision to cancel a long-standing special event.

Diversification and adaptability are essential to resilience.

The category of funding that often receives the least attention in this session — because it truly deserves a session of its own — is planned giving. Sometimes called estate giving or legacy giving, this is a category of gifts that reflects a donor’s deepest level of trust and long-term commitment. These gifts are often made through wills, beneficiary designations, donor advised funds, charitable trusts, or endowment commitments. They may not impact today’s operating budget — but they can shape the financial future of an organization for generations.

So the question becomes: Is your organization ready? (Spoiler alert… I will almost always say yes.)

You do not need a planned giving department to begin.

You need readiness to listen, document donor intentions, and steward relationships thoughtfully over time.

Planned Giving Is ...

In planned giving — and really in all fundraising — one of the biggest missed opportunities is treating a gift like a transaction instead of a relationship.

A bequest intention, beneficiary designation, or estate conversation is not just paperwork — it is a deeply personal decision about legacy, values, and impact beyond a donor’s lifetime. When someone considers including your organization in their estate plans, they are asking a meaningful question: What will endure after me?

Every planned giving touchpoint should be an open door to conversation.

Not just a brochure.Not just a website page.A conversation.

Make it easy — and normal — for donors to talk with someone at your organization. This might be a development professional, executive director, board member, or trained volunteer. What matters most is that donors know there is a real human being available to listen, answer questions, and help them explore what legacy giving could look like for them.

When donors express interest — even casually — respond with curiosity and gratitude. Ask what inspires them. Ask what impact they hope to make. Ask what they want their giving to represent. Planned giving is as much about meaning as it is about money.

Blended Gifts Connect Today’s Commitment with Tomorrow’s Legacy

For many donors, planned giving is not separate from their current philanthropy — it is an extension of it. Increasingly, organizations are seeing the power of blended gifts: combining an immediate major gift with a planned gift commitment as part of the same agreement or expression of support.

A donor may make a significant contribution today to advance current priorities while also including the organization in their estate plans or establishing a future endowment gift. This approach allows donors to see impact now while also securing long-term sustainability.

Blended gifts reflect a deeper level of partnership. They signal that a donor believes in both the present work of the organization and its future relevance.

They also embody the very idea of nimble fundraising — diversifying not just how gifts are structured, but when impact is realized.

When organizations are prepared to discuss legacy giving within major gift conversations, they create opportunities for donors to align their short-term generosity with their long-term vision for impact.

Infrastructure Matters — But Relationships Matter More

Some planned giving vehicles require administrative structure and financial stewardship.

Donor advised fund designations are increasingly common and easy for donors to establish. Partnerships with local community foundations can allow organizations to create endowed funds without taking on the full financial and investment management responsibilities internally. These partnerships can reduce complexity for boards and staff.

But they do not reduce responsibility.

Whether funds are managed internally or externally, stewardship remains essential. Donors who make legacy commitments deserve thoughtful recognition, consistent communication, and confidence that their future gift will be honored with care and intention.

Planned Giving Looks Different in Large and Small Organizations

Large, established nonprofits often have formal planned giving programs — dedicated staff, marketing materials, legacy societies, structured stewardship plans, and technical resources for donors and advisors. These organizations may host informational seminars or maintain sophisticated long-term engagement strategies focused specifically on estate gifts.

Smaller organizations may not have those resources — and that is perfectly okay.

In fact, smaller nonprofits often have a powerful advantage: proximity and authenticity. When relationships are personal and leadership is accessible, legacy conversations can feel more natural, more meaningful, and more connected to mission.

Scale changes the structure — but not the responsibility.

Every organization, regardless of size, must be prepared to honor the trust a donor places in you when they include your mission in their legacy.

Readiness Is About Mindset, Not Size

Planned giving is not reserved for large institutions with complex infrastructure. It is available to any organization willing to build trust, invite conversation, and steward relationships with care and consistency.

Legacy gifts are expressions of belief. They represent confidence in your mission long after today’s programs, campaigns, and budgets have passed.

Being “ready” simply means being prepared to receive that belief with clarity, gratitude, and responsibility.

The Team Kat & Mouse Perspective

At Team Kat & Mouse, we work with organizations, leaders, and causes that are driven by more than goals — they are driven by conviction. Planned giving is one of the clearest expressions of that conviction, from both donors and the organizations they choose to support.

We help turn belief into strategy, passion into momentum, and mission into measurable impact.

Whether you are building your first legacy giving conversation or strengthening an established program, readiness begins with intention — and grows through thoughtful action.

If you are wondering whether your organization is ready for planned giving, that question itself is the right place to begin.