Thank you for hosting a planned giving workshop! Here are our suggestions for how to promote it ahead of time. We’re not too concerned about attendance. It’s more important to have the right people in the room than it is to have a lot of people in the room— and the right people are the ones who, due to some major life event, are already thinking about estate planning and/or tax deductions. In other words, they’re going through a “sensitive period.” The goal is to provide a steady stream of gentle reminders, so that when each person is most receptive to the message about planned giving, there’s something going on that speaks to them. Putting in a strong promotional effort in advance of a planned giving workshop is always worthwhile, because it acts as a gentle reminder to the whole congregation.
3 Weeks Before
Adapt our Invitation Letter Template for your context, and send to your church members by paper mail and/or email.
Faith Foundation will create a Facebook event, and send you a link so that you can publicize the event on your website and church Facebook page.
2 Weeks Before
Use our Pastor Talking Points to make an announcement from the pulpit during worship.
Continue to promote the workshop online.
1 Week Before
Use our Pastor Talking Points to make another announcement from the pulpit during worship.
Add a reminder to your weekly email or other communication with your members.
Continue to promote the workshop online.
Day Of
Set up the room at least half an hour prior to the start of the presentation. If the workshop is happening in person, please provide a projector, screen, and power strip; seating that will allow participants to see the screen; and refreshments if public health guidelines allow for them (coffee hour fare is appropriate). If the workshop is happening by videoconference, please work with your workshop leader to make sure that s/he can access features like the mute button, screen sharing, et cetera.
Your workshop leader will arrive either in person or online at least half an hour before the workshop is scheduled to start.
Your pastor will be invited to open the workshop with a word of welcome and a prayer.
The Foundation will send you an email with a list of attendees. Adapt our thank you letter template and send a copy to each attendee.
Keep the momentum going by scheduling gentle reminders on a quarterly basis moving forward, and delegate this responsibility to a specific person on your finance or endowment committee.