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

Our colleagues should appreciate the usefulness of this question, particularly when a prospect has responded “no” to a major gift ask with the stated reasons of lack of available or liquid funds, or fear about future health care costs. Unfortunately, these prospects are often downgraded because of lack of current gift intent, when they may be quite amenable to bequests or other planned gifts. And, if they have already included your organization in their estate plans, the discussions should center on insuring that the donors’ intents can be realized. The donor has opened the door to an in-depth discussion of passions and interests that will make it so much easier to talk with him about lifetime support.