Planned Giving: ‘How Old Are You and Did 
You Know You Could … ?’

A personalized gift illustration of the concepts can be very helpful as well. And it is wise to define terms that seem obvious. If an outright gift can be pledged over a term of years, say so.

Some cues and clues relating to whether discussion of a planned gift is appropriate include:

“I wish I could give, but I worry I will run out of money like my mother did.”
Possible response: “Did you know that you could give assets other than cash and retain an income stream for life [charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, pooled income funds]? Did you know that you could include a bequest in your will to [charity] so you don’t deprive yourself of assets during your lifetime?”