How to Make Your Website Work for You

Read an excellent article in the August edition of Journal of Financial Planning.  While Kristin Harad writes for the benefit of financial planners, it has a lot of good ideas for nonprofits and legacy gifts websites as well.  You can get to the article by clicking HERE and have a good weekend.

Legacy Giving Recognition Levels



How many recognition levels is one of those tricky questions that we are revisiting right now.  Too many levels and no one takes them seriously.  Too few and you discourage increased giving.  Too low or too high causes a different set of problems and it is very difficult to recognize a donor at a level and then change the requirements.  Do you unrecognize them if they don't meet the new rules?  I don't think so.  So, its rather important to start off right.

Currently we recognize you at the following levels for a current or deferred gift to the endowment...

$1,000 and you are a member of The Legacy Society

$250,000 and you are a member of The Tocqueville Legacy Circle (and The Legacy Society)

$1,000,000+ and you've joined the Million Dollar Legacy Circle (and TLC and LS)

 

We didn't think that was enough so we're adding some new ones...

 

$1,000 = The Legacy Society

$25,000 = The Leadership Legacy Circle

$125,000 = The Builders Legacy Circle

$250,000 = The Tocqueville Legacy Circle

$500,000 = The ? Legacy Circle

$1,000,000 = The Million Dollar Legacy Circle

Assuming a 4% return and draw, $25,000 endows an annual gift of $1,000 (our base annual campaign leadership level gift), $125,000 yields $5,000 annually (our Builders Society annual giving level), and $500,000  ... well we really haven't come up with a good justification for that level, hence the problem with coming up with a good name.  Any ideas will earn you my undying appreciation and all the recognition, accolades, and cash prizes I give for every other good idea.  Best of all, if we compile a list of good recognition level names here, then everyone can just appropriate them for their Legacy Society.  Retreading at its finest.