Understanding the Benefits of Planned Giving for Both the Nonprofit and Donor During the Financial Crisis

New York, July 13, 2009 — With charitable giving down, more and more nonprofits are dipping into their endowments further reducing their resources -- making a bad situation worse. However, there is one type of giving that hasn't been tapped to its full potential and that's planned giving, which is just another way to raise money in addition to annual donations and grants. Yet, board members and fundraising staff shy away from planned giving programs perhaps because it sounds more complicated than other programs.

To help nonprofits better understand the benefits of planned giving and determine if it is right for their organization, Ventureneer.com is presenting a free webinar, "Planned Giving: Here's What It Is - Here's What It Takes" on Tuesday, July 21, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET.

"Planned giving programs are a win-win for the nonprofit and the donor. Donors can often make larger gifts than they might have otherwise thought possible to a charity they really care about, and sometimes significantly enhance their own financial situation with increased income and tax advantages. Charities end up receiving more assets than might otherwise have been donated to them," said Lorri Greif, the webinar's instructor. She added, "This situation often creates stronger relationships and greater loyalty between contributors and the benefiting nonprofit organizations; it can lead to bigger gifts to the charity's other fundraising campaigns, and more volunteerism."

How do you know if planned giving is right for your nonprofit? It's a question that should be asked by a lot more board members and organization executives, but many don't know where to go for the answer. This one hour free webinar will address which nonprofits should pursue this form of fundraising, the bare bones basics needed for success and the not so bare bones in weighing the pro's and con's of this program so the decision can be made based on your own situation. One size does not fit all but this webinar will give you the tools to judge for yourself.

You will learn the answers to such questions as:

* Exactly what is planned giving?
* Why a nonprofit would need (or not need) planned giving?
* What is needed to get a planned giving program up and running?
* What are some possible pitfalls?
* When is the best time to start a planned giving program?
* How long does it take to see results and what are reasonable expectations?
* How can success be judged?

This webinar is ideal for nonprofit board members, executive directors and fundraising professionals. The webinar instructor is Lorri M. Greif, CFRE, President, Breakthrough Philanthropy. She has more than two decades of experience in creating and implementing successful major gift and planned giving campaigns for local and national mid-sized nonprofits, and is responsible for raising hundreds of millions of dollars. Lorri has the perspective of on staff fundraiser, consultant and board member.

Ventureneer provides a new approach to learning that blends traditional formal instruction with informal learning derived from peers using Web 2.0 technology to capture and share this knowledge. Ventureneer's customized Web 2.0 learning environment: blogs, virtual classes, peer-to-peer learning, coaching, web events and articles, provide the necessary support to make faster, better organizational decisions.