PATHWAY TO PHILANTHROPY | PART 2:
Why Stronger Donor Relationships and Legacy Giving Deserve a Place in Your Development Plan
By Angie Thompson
Nonprofit organizations are very good at creating activity. We plan events, organize galas, sell tickets, look for sponsors, write grants and launch annual appeals. Then, when the calendar turns over, we begin planning many of the same activities again.
All of those strategies can have a place in a healthy fundraising program. But after years of working in nonprofit development, I have become increasingly convinced that we sometimes devote so much attention to fundraising activities that we overlook one of the most valuable assets an organization already has: people who care deeply about the work.
They are longtime donors, volunteers, board members, former board members, patrons, families and community members who have developed a relationship with the organization over many years. Some may have the capacity to make a significant gift today. Others may never make what we traditionally consider a major gift during their lifetime, but they may be able to make one of the most significant gifts they have ever made through their estate.
The sad reality is that too many nonprofits never invite them to consider it.
Before You Plan Another Fundraiser, Look at Your Donor Pipeline
Fundraising consultant Claire Axelrad has written extensively about the importance of major-gift fundraising and building relationships with people who already have an affinity for an organization. In her guidance on building a major-gift prospect list, she recommends beginning with people who are already close to the organization, rather than spending valuable time pursuing people who may have wealth but no meaningful connection to the mission.¹
That represents an important change in thinking. Instead of continually asking, “What fundraiser should we do next?” perhaps we should also be asking, “Who already cares about us, and how well do we know them?”
Who has supported us for ten years? Who attends year after year? Who volunteers whenever we ask? Who served on the board fifteen years ago and still sends a check? Who increased a gift without being asked? Who talks about our organization as though it belongs to them?
Those aren't simply names in a database. They represent relationships, and relationships are where major and legacy gifts begin.
Events can certainly be useful for engagement, visibility, community building and fundraising. But they also require considerable staff and volunteer time, and the net revenue may look very different after expenses and staff time are considered. The question isn't whether nonprofits should stop having events. The better question is whether another event is always the best use of limited fundraising capacity.
Sometimes the better investment may be giving an executive director, development professional and board members the time to sit across the table from the people who already care about the organization.
Major Giving Begins with Listening
One of the misconceptions about major-gift fundraising is that it begins with identifying wealthy people and asking them for large amounts of money. In my experience, it begins much earlier, with curiosity and a willingness to listen.
Why did you first become involved with us? What part of our work matters most to you? What have you seen us accomplish that makes you proud? What would you like to see this organization accomplish in the next ten years?
Those conversations tell us something a donor database cannot. They help us understand why someone cares, and that information can change the way we build the relationship.
Axelrad describes successful major-gift development in similar terms. Her guidance emphasizes starting with people who already have a relationship with the organization, qualifying a manageable number of prospects and investing more time in the people most likely to deepen their involvement. She also emphasizes presenting donors with opportunities connected to what they genuinely care about rather than simply asking them to “support the organization.”²
This is also one reason storytelling and fundraising belong together. We aren't simply telling people what an organization does. We are helping them understand what is possible and see the role they might play in what happens next.
And Then There Is Legacy Giving
Legacy giving is one of the areas I believe many small and midsized nonprofits overlook completely. It can sound complicated or like something only universities, hospitals and large foundations do. We may also assume our donors aren't wealthy enough to consider it.
But legacy gifts can range from small to large. A donor might leave a specific amount through a will or trust, designate a percentage of an estate, or include a residuary or contingent provision.⁷ A person who could never make a significant gift during their lifetime may have an entirely different capacity to give through their estate.
One reason nonprofits may hesitate to talk about legacy giving is the belief that they need to understand the complexities of estate planning before they can begin the conversation. They don't.
Laura Jensen, President & CEO of the Bartlesville Community Foundation, makes an important distinction: “Their expertise is the mission of their organization which often doesn't include the complexities of legacy giving and the vehicles that can make it happen. So, don't be the expert - know someone who is.”⁵
That is an important role distinction. The nonprofit's job is not to draft estate documents, recommend tax strategies or tell donors which charitable vehicle to use. The nonprofit's job is to build relationships, communicate impact, make donors aware that legacy giving is an option and connect them with appropriate professional resources when questions become more technical.
Donors can overcomplicate legacy giving, too. Brandy Robles, J.D., CTFA, Senior Vice President and Regional Trust Manager with Arvest Wealth Management, says one of the things she wishes more people understood is that “It is much easier than people think.”⁶
One potential complication is trying to restrict a future estate gift too narrowly. A program or project that exists today may look very different by the time an estate gift is eventually received. Robles encourages donors to identify organizations that reflect their values and avoid restricting a future gift so narrowly that changing programs or community needs could make the donor's original intention difficult to fulfill. ⁶
What Happens When a Donor Makes That Decision?
Research recently highlighted by Claire Axelrad caught my attention because it challenges an assumption we might make about planned giving: that a future estate gift could somehow replace or reduce what a donor gives today.
Research by Russell N. James III, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®, Professor of Charitable Financial Planning at Texas Tech University, suggests something very different. His longitudinal research used 8,891 “before and after” observations to examine charitable giving before and after a charitable component was added to an estate plan. Inflation-adjusted annual charitable giving averaged approximately 77 percent higher after the charitable estate-planning component was added than before it was added. The higher level of giving was also sustained in subsequent years.³
That doesn't mean every donor who includes a nonprofit in an estate plan will increase annual giving by 77 percent, nor should an organization build a financial projection around that number. What the research suggests is much more interesting: legacy giving and current giving don't necessarily compete with each other. A legacy commitment may deepen a donor's philanthropic relationship during their lifetime.
James suggests that something changes when a person begins thinking about charitable giving not simply in terms of disposable income, but also in terms of accumulated assets and wealth.⁴ From a relationship perspective, that makes sense to me. When someone includes an organization in an estate plan, that person has made a significant decision about values and what they want to continue beyond their lifetime.
In essence, they are saying, This matters enough to me that I want it to continue after I am gone.
That is a fundamentally different relationship from buying a ticket to a fundraiser.
I Have Seen How Simple This Can Be
Earlier in my development career, I helped create a legacy-giving process that was intentionally uncomplicated. We provided information about legacy giving and access to a knowledgeable professional at a local wealth-management firm who could serve as a helpful resource for individuals and families with questions.
The nonprofit didn't prepare wills or trusts. Those documents remained between donors and their attorneys, financial planners and other professional advisors. We also developed a simple Letter of Intent that allowed donors to tell us they had included the organization in their estate plans without giving us their wills, trusts or other private documents.
That notification mattered because once we knew about a donor's intentions, we didn't have to wait until someone's death to recognize the significance of the gift. We could thank them during their lifetime, recognize them if they wished to be recognized, keep them involved and help them see the work their future gift would continue.
That is an important part of stewardship.
That same principle extends beyond wealth-management relationships. Jensen encourages nonprofits to build relationships with community foundations and other professionals who can help move an idea toward action. She points out that even simple development messages reminding donors about legacy opportunities, beneficiary designations and other charitable giving options can turn what might otherwise remain a hypothetical conversation into an action item. As she explains, “The Foundation often is a bridge between a donor working with a professional who wants to do something and an organization stewarding the relationship.” ⁵
My Estate Isn't Large Enough for a Legacy Gift
Legacy giving is sometimes associated with considerable wealth, but that perception can keep ordinary donors from ever considering it.
Brandy Robles encourages people to look at the complete picture. “You would be surprised how quickly a few assets add up,” she says. Making a list and assigning approximate values to assets can reveal a very different picture than someone may have imagined.
And a charitable legacy doesn't have to consume an estate. Robles suggests considering the potential impact of 5 to 10 percent of an estate: “A contribution of that size can mean a great deal to an organization.” ⁶
Taken together, Jensen's and Robles' advice points toward a much simpler role for the nonprofit: invite the conversation.
Tell donors that legacy giving is possible. Explain what their future generosity could help sustain. Provide the organization's correct legal information. Develop relationships with attorneys, CPAs, wealth advisors and community-foundation professionals who can answer questions beyond the nonprofit's expertise.
Then let donors and their professional advisors determine what giving vehicle is appropriate for their circumstances.
The nonprofit doesn't need to become an estate-planning expert. It needs to become comfortable opening the door.
Start With the Board
If I were helping an organization establish a Legacy Society today, one of the first conversations I would have would not be with donors. It would be with the board.
I would invite board members to consider making their own legacy commitments. There would be no required amount, and they wouldn't have to tell the organization the anticipated value of their estates or gifts. The important part would be their personal commitment to the future of an organization they have already chosen to serve.
Imagine the difference between a board member saying, “You should consider including our organization in your estate plans,” and being able to say, “I've done this myself, and here's why.”
The reason that follows is where the conversation becomes meaningful. Perhaps it is, “I want children in this community to have the opportunities I had.” Or, “This organization helped my family, and I want it to be here for other families.” For an arts organization, it might be, “I believe the arts make this a better community, and I want them to remain part of our community for future generations.”
Board members don't need to explain wills, trusts, tax consequences or beneficiary designations. Their role is to share why they care. Attorneys, financial advisors and other qualified professionals can help donors determine how best to accomplish their intentions.
Create a Legacy Society That Means Something
A Legacy Society should be more than a list of names on a website. It can represent a relationship between today's donor and the organization's future.
Once donors tell us they have included the organization in their estate plans, we have an extraordinary stewardship opportunity. We can invite them behind the scenes, introduce them to people doing the work, share stories about the people benefiting from the mission, ask their advice and recognize them publicly when they want recognition.
Most importantly, we can periodically help them see what their decision means. The gift may arrive years from now, but the relationship shouldn't wait until then.
This Is Bigger Than Planned Giving
This is where I believe the idea becomes much bigger. A nonprofit doesn't necessarily need separate relationship strategies for annual donors, major donors and legacy donors. It needs an intentional donor relationship strategy that recognizes that people may move among those categories over time.
Imagine intentionally developing relationships with a manageable group of people who already have meaningful connections to your organization. They don't necessarily have to be the wealthiest people in town. Look instead for people with a strong combination of commitment, history, interest and potential.
That doesn't mean spending six months asking them for money. It means listening, inviting, thanking, sharing stories, asking what they care about and helping them see possibilities.
Some may become larger annual donors. Some may introduce you to others. Some may fund a specific project. Some may become stronger volunteers or advocates. And some may eventually tell you they want to make sure the work continues after they are gone.
That's where legacy giving begins.
Perhaps We Need Fewer Transactions and More Relationships
A diversified development program needs multiple sources of revenue. But fundraising activity shouldn't keep us so busy that we don't have time for the people who already believe in the mission.
For a nonprofit with limited staff and limited resources, the next great fundraising strategy may not require creating another event. It may begin by opening the donor database, identifying 25 people and making time for meaningful conversations with them.
The strongest fundraising pipeline may already be there, and one of the greatest gifts an organization will ever receive may someday come from a person who is already giving today.
Perhaps we simply haven't invited them to imagine their legacy.
For boards and leadership teams, that invitation begins with a few practical questions. Are we simply telling donors what our organization does, or are we helping them see what their generosity makes possible?
“We served 300 children” tells a donor something important about the organization. An impact story that shows what happened in one child's life with the donor's help connects their philanthropy to an outcome. That is more than reporting activity. It helps donors understand the difference their generosity makes.
The following questions can reveal whether donor relationships and legacy giving are truly part of the organization's development strategy or simply ideas waiting to be developed.
A Conversation for Your Board
- Who are 25 people who care deeply about our organization?
- When was the last time we talked with them when we weren't asking for money?
- Do we give donors meaningful opportunities to invest in the parts of our mission they care about most?
- Do we share impact stories that help donors see how their generosity changes lives, rather than simply telling them what our organization is doing?
- Do we provide supporters with a simple way to include our organization in their estate plans and let us know they have done so?
- How many members of our board could comfortably say, “I've included this organization in my own legacy plans, and here's why”?
Resources, Further Reading & Professional Perspectives
1. Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, Clairification. Major Gifts Fundraising: Pie in the Sky, Pie in Your Face or Your Piece of Pie, June 8, 2026. Axelrad recommends concentrating major-gift efforts on qualified prospects and beginning with people who are already close to the organization or connected to those people.
2. Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, Clairification. Give Major Donors Something They Actually Want to Fund, July 13, 2026. Axelrad discusses connecting major donors with specific opportunities that reflect what they care about and using stories to make those opportunities meaningful.
3. Russell N. James III. “The Emerging Potential of Longitudinal Empirical Research in Estate Planning: Examples from Charitable Bequests.” UC Davis Law Review, Vol. 53, 2020, pp. 2397–2431. Using 8,891 “before and after” observations from 1993–2016, James reports that inflation-adjusted charitable giving averaged approximately 77 percent higher after a charitable estate-planning component was added than before it was added.
4. Russell N. James III. The Storytelling Fundraiser. James discusses the relationship between charitable estate planning, asset giving, donor decision-making and storytelling, and references the longitudinal research above.
5. Laura Jensen, President & CEO of the Bartlesville Community Foundation, Bartlesville, OK. Comments provided to Angie Thompson, August 2026.
6. Brandy Robles, J.D., CTFA, Senior Vice President | Regional Trust Manager, Arvest Wealth Management, Bartlesville, OK. Comments provided to Angie Thompson, August 2026.
7. Association of Fundraising Professionals. Planned Giving: A Practical Guide for Fundraising. AFP Career Resources. The guide explains common charitable bequest structures, including specific dollar amounts, percentages of an estate, residuary provisions and contingent provisions.
A Note About Professional Advice
This article is provided for educational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, financial, investment or estate-planning advice. Charitable giving decisions should be considered in light of each donor's individual circumstances. Donors are encouraged to consult with their own attorney, CPA, financial advisor or other qualified professional when considering significant or planned charitable gifts.