Planned Giving 101: Build a Legacy Giving Program

A single bequest can represent more funding than an entire year of annual giving — and most nonprofits never ask for one.

Planned giving, sometimes called legacy giving, is one of the most powerful and most underutilized fundraising strategies available to nonprofits of any size.

According to research from the National Committee on Planned Giving, the median charitable bequest in the United States is $35,000. But the real opportunity isn't in the number — it's in what that gift represents: a donor who believed in your mission so deeply they included it in their will.

Not all planned giving donors will be major donors. But all planned gifts are major gifts.

The barrier most nonprofits face isn't capacity or expertise. It's not knowing where to start. This course gives you exactly that: a clear, practical foundation for building a planned giving program that you can begin implementing right away.

What You'll Learn:

• What planned giving is, why it matters, and how it fits into your overall fundraising strategy

• The different types of planned gifts any donor can make — explained in plain language you can pass directly to your supporters

• How to identify your strongest planned giving prospects from your existing donor base

• How to develop a basic program framework that works for a nonprofit of any size or staffing level

• The language to use on your website to introduce and promote your planned giving program

• How to build a planned giving brochure for your organization — completed as part of the course itself

This Course Is For You If:

• You're a nonprofit founder, executive director, or fundraiser ready to build a sustainable, long-term funding source

• You're a development professional who knows planned giving matters but hasn't known how to start

• You're a board member or volunteer who wants to understand how legacy giving works and how to champion it at your organization

• You have little to no background in estate planning or tax law — and you don't need one

What's Included:

Website Language Templates — Ready-to-use copy to introduce your planned giving program to donors online

Planned Giving Brochure — Built step by step during the course, so you finish with a finished, usable piece in hand

Program Framework — A foundational structure you can adapt to your organization's size, capacity, and donor base

Your Instructor

This course is taught by Alison Clare Baldree, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) with more than 15 years of nonprofit fundraising experience.

Since 2019, Alison has been training nonprofit leaders and development professionals to raise more — with practical tools grounded in real-world experience. Her approach removes the complexity from topics that feel daunting and gives fundraisers what they actually need: clarity, structure, and confidence to take the next step.

Enroll in Planned Giving 101 today and start building the foundation for a legacy giving program that will sustain your mission for years to come.