THE ARTS FUNDRAISER’S GUIDE TO PLANNED GIVING

How Arts Organizations Can Create a Practical, Sustainable Planned Giving Program

By Catherine Heitz New

Note: The information shared through Fundraising Growth Now! is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal, tax, or financial advice. We encourage both nonprofit organizations and donors to consult their own professional advisors regarding individual circumstances.

Charitable bequests rose an impressive 20% in 2025, according to Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy. Many in our field view this increase as an indication that the long-anticipated Great Wealth Transfer is turning from theory into reality.

For arts organizations, that creates both opportunity and urgency. As the Great Wealth Transfer unfolds, every arts organization should have a practical planned giving program in place to capitalize on it—and you don’t need to become a planned giving expert to get started.

A Planned Gift Is Just a Pledge

Planned giving can feel intimidating, so I encourage fundraisers to begin with a simple mindset shift:

A planned gift is just a pledge.

While planned gifts differ from typical pledges in that they’re triggered by a life event—usually the donor’s passing—and often come from more complex assets, the process of securing them isn’t significantly different from securing an annual, capital, or comprehensive gift. In fact, most planned gifts are straightforward bequests: a certain amount or percentage designated to your organization in a donor’s will.

Keep Planned Giving Visible

A planned giving program is simply a system for recognizing and stewarding donors who have already informed you of their intentions while inspiring others to raise their hands and learn more. It starts with conversations, stewardship, and communication—not legal documents.

Your planned giving program is the engine, and your messaging is the fuel. Your goal isn’t to convince someone to make a planned gift overnight. It’s to normalize the idea so donors see it as another way to support your mission. The simplest way is to use donor stories that help supporters see themselves as potential planned giving donors.

And planned giving isn’t only for wealthy donors. People have homes, retirement accounts, insurance policies, and other estate assets. For many, leaving all or a portion of such assets to an arts organization can be surprisingly simple.

You don’t need an entirely new communications program either. Include planned giving in what you’re already doing: direct mail inserts, program books, newsletters, e-updates, your website, Annual Fund materials, and even a P.S. on acknowledgment letters.

The objective is consistency, not complexity.

Know Your Best Prospects

Start with current and former Board members, followed by leadership donors, longtime subscribers or members, non-board volunteers, and longtime broad-based donors. Ten or more years of consistent engagement is a useful rule of thumb for identifying those last groups.

You can’t have individual conversations with everyone—and you don’t need to. Think of your ongoing communications as a drip program designed to encourage interested donors to raise their hands. When someone requests information or expresses interest, they become what I call a VIP planned giving prospect—someone worthy of more personal cultivation.

Start with the Basics

At minimum, every arts organization should:

• Know your prospects. Identify your key audiences and VIP planned giving prospects.

• Drip planned giving into existing communications. Make sure donors encounter the message regularly without creating an entirely new campaign.

• Steward existing planned giving donors. Recognize them, include them in donor events, and thank them regularly for including your organization in their estate plans.

Get those fundamentals solidly in place, and you’re already well ahead of many other nonprofits in your community.

Your Expertise Is the Donor Relationship

When a VIP prospect is ready for a personal conversation, remember your role. You aren’t there to provide legal or financial advice. Encourage donors to work with qualified professionals and be prepared to provide timely information when they express interest.

At minimum, have a planned giving brochure, a list of professionals donors can contact if they need an advisor, and a commitment form to document their intentions.

Your expertise isn’t estate law. Your expertise is the donor relationship.

Use Permission-Based Asking

Planned giving conversations naturally feel different from annual gift conversations. That’s why I recommend Permission-Based Asking. Before making the Ask, seek permission to have the conversation:

“As one of our most loyal supporters, we’d like to explore your interest in making a planned gift. When would you be ready for that conversation?”

Think of it as getting a yes before the yes. It allows the donor to establish the pace while providing you with clear benchmarks to move the relationship forward.

Once a donor confirms their intention, celebrate it, welcome them to your legacy society, document the commitment carefully, and continue stewarding the relationship.

Relationships Are Still the Strategy

A 20% increase in charitable bequests doesn’t mean every arts organization suddenly needs a sophisticated planned giving department. It does mean every front-line fundraiser should be prepared for more planned giving conversations.

Remember three things:

• A planned gift is just a pledge. The pathway begins with strong donor relationships.

• Keep it simple. Integrate planned giving into the communications and stewardship you’re already doing.

• Use Permission-Based Asking. Let donors tell you when they’re ready to continue the conversation.

Donor-advised funds, planned gifts, appreciated stock—they aren’t fundraising strategies. They’re giving vehicles.

Relationships are still the strategy. They always have been, and they always will be.

If your arts organization is ready to establish, strengthen, or simplify its planned giving program, schedule a conversation with RSC Associates CEO Catherine Heitz New. Together, we'll help you build a practical, sustainable approach to planned giving that fits your organization, your resources, and your donor relationships.