An important relationship skill is the ability to see people as individuals rather than stereotyping them according to certain traits. This is also a valuable skill for fundraisers when working with individual donors.

As a general marketing tactic, however, this can be impossible. It’s knowing general traits (i.e., the demographic makeup of your donor database) that can produce the leads needed to begin tailoring appropriate messages to certain targets.

When it comes to planned and major giving, in addition to marital status and gender, you need to know age and wealth.

The Equation

Age: The Sharpe Knowledgebase® shows that people make their final wills within five years of their death, and these wills are most likely to include a charitable beneficiary. Therefore, it is important to target your bequest communications to the older segment of your donor database.

Another giving vehicle that benefits from segmenting by age is the QCD opportunity. Beginning at age 70½, IRA owners can start directly transferring amounts up to $105,000. These are tax-free gifts, and beginning at age 73, they can count toward an IRA owner’s RMD.

Wealth: Wealth information is useful in targeting additional ways of giving, particularly noncash options. Wealthier individuals may be more receptive to messages about giving appreciated securities or property, for instance, while those with less wealth may respond better to messages about gifts of cash.

Other Factors

One of the most important activities you should be doing every year is removing deceased donors from your database. Not only will this enhance your marketing target efforts from a budget standpoint, but it will also help you avoid possible embarrassing communications that show you don’t know your donors.

The Solution

Sharpe’s Comprehensive Data Services is an affordable solution that allows you to target likely donors and create more effective communications, which leads to more gifts.