The Edge from EDS aims to provide content that is educational, engaging, and inspiring. We want to equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to maximize your planned giving marketing efforts. As the year comes to an end, we reflect on the topics that resonated with you and your colleagues and the posts our writers believe deserve a second look.
Top Blog Posts
In case you missed one of these, check out our top three most-read blog posts in 2024:
1. Top Five Reasons for Donors to Consider a CGA Today. Charitable gift annuities (CGAs) may have an even greater appeal now due to legislative changes and market forces. This post prepares you for donor discussions by presenting five powerful reasons for donors to consider CGAs today. Note that the ACGA reconfirmed the current high gift annuity rates for the first half of 2025, so this post from January 2024 is just as pertinent today.
2. Sharing the Love: Couples and Joint Philanthropy. Couples who engage in joint philanthropy build a legacy of compassion and generosity that often transcends what either of them could have accomplished alone. By understanding this crucial group of donors, you can provide targeted gift information that will maximize their collective giving.
3. Surveys Can Identify Planned Giving Prospects. Surveys are one of the best ways to increase your knowledge of your existing donors, explore their attachment to your organization, and gauge their interest in increasing their impact. This post lists the five factors that will help you identify prospects for planned giving when selecting survey participants.
Staff Favorites
And we couldn’t let the year close without noting a few writer favorites that didn’t end up in the top three but are still worth a second look.
• Planned Giving Trends and Insights from Giving USA 2024. Author Marina Cooper says, “Every year, I look forward to writing about the Giving USA report. I really appreciate a data-driven approach to planned giving, and this report provides some of the best insights available. Our blog post highlights some of the biggest year-to-year trends from the report—how much people are giving, which sectors are gaining support, which giving vehicles are trending, and so on. We also discuss the correlation between the annual performance of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and total giving for the year. For planned giving professionals looking to stay informed on donor trends and optimize their strategies to drive more support their way, this post is a must-read.”
• How Planned Giving Professionals Can Leverage Giving Tuesday. Author Amy Rector says, “This post is worth another look for a couple reasons. First, it’s important for planned giving teams to consider ways to connect with donors on the day they are most open to hearing from nonprofits and either making or planning gifts. Looking over these ideas for reaching donors and inspiring action now will give you a leg up next fall as you plan for Giving Tuesday. Second, while the ideas in this post are tailored for a particular day, they really apply all year long. Sharing real-world impact stories, enhancing connection with visuals, employing targeted messaging, adding an interactive component, and showing gratitude to your supporters—these are all powerful elements to consider as part of your overall strategy for 2025.”
• Cryptocurrency Owners Want to Donate. Are You Ready? Author Connor Jett says, “My favorite was the crypto blog post. Cryptocurrency and digital assets are very interesting, but a lot of people find them intimidating or unapproachable. I’ve written a few pieces on cryptocurrency over the years, but I liked this one in particular as it took a general approach to bridging the knowledge gap and offered concrete and easy solutions for donors and charities. More and more people, especially younger people, see cryptocurrency as a major asset to have, so helping charities learn more about it is particularly meaningful.”
• Change is Coming: The Great Wealth Transfer and Its Impact on Planned Giving. Author Rebecca Wood says, “I really enjoyed researching and learning more about the Great Wealth Transfer and its predicted impact on charitable giving. This information is important for nonprofits as they prepare and strategize for this influx of wealth and transfer of resources. If you missed this post, it’s worth another look to best position your organization to make the most of this expected boom in giving.”
And that’s a wrap for 2024!
We hope your organization finishes this year strong. Be ready for fresh blog content in January that can help improve your strategies and boost donor relationships in 2025.
