1. If you are not asking the members of your church for planned gifts, you can bet someone else is. When looking at planned giving revenue versus individual giving, planned giving averages over 10% nationally. Higher education is as high as 15-20%.
2. Eventually that “someone else” will win their cash gifts too as planned gifts come from the heart.
3. The average age of United Methodists is 58 vs 38 of the U.S. population. Baby Boomers are the richest generation ever and are typically the financial backbone of the UMC.
4. Hard economic times when people are “cash-starved” are the best times for planned giving.
5. A typical planned gift is 200 to 300 times the size of the member’s largest annual gift.
6. Planned gifts do not affect your church member’s annual giving. Repeat: Planned gifts do not affect your church member’s annual giving.
7. Church members are often eager to make a planned gift but don’t know how. Or are never asked. And some are even offended that they aren’t asked by their church!
8. Church members who make gifts through their wills typically are unknown and can surprise you.
9. Anyone can make a planned gift.
10. By working with the North Alabama United Methodist Foundation’s staff, promoting planned giving in your church is easy.