Leverage National Estate Planning Awareness Week, October 20-26th

Focusing on legacy and planned giving can feel daunting when your team is already juggling annual appeals, capital projects, events, and major donor cultivation work. If you break it down into manageable steps and integrate legacy giving themes into your current activities, implementing a legacy giving plan becomes much more achievable.

This month, take a few minutes to leverage National Estate Planning Awareness Week, October 20–26.

National awareness events really work! For example, our local nonprofits’ promotion of August’s Make-a-Will Month generated an additional $600,000 in bequests for those organizations.

During October, consider promoting your partnership with KCF and inviting your donors to create their will for free at www.freewill.com/kitsapfoundation. Since KCF has offered this service for local nonprofits in November 2023, Kitsap organizations have secured $5.1 million in bequests.   

Don’t forget to include this link in your material: www.freewill.com/kitsapfoundation.

Take advantage of KCF’s Plug-and-Play Materials for National Estate Planning Awareness Week: 

Start with our easy-to-edit Canva templates, sized for Facebook, Instagram, and postcards. Swap the logo, use your organization’s images, revise the text, and make them yours! Send to everyone on your lists.

Edit the following emails to reflect your organization's voice and brand and send them out through your communication channels:

If you only have time to do one thing, consider promoting this service to your donors and volunteers:

Lastly, make a plan to provide organization-specific bequest language to your donors at least twice each year–we recommend incorporating into your annual report and adding a p.s. or inserting into your letters:

Sample Language for Bequests - revise to include your organization’s information:

I give, devise and bequeath to Kitsap Community Foundation (Tax ID #94-3205217), a tax-exempt organization located at 9657 Levin Rd NW, Ste 220, Silverdale, WA, 98383, the sum of $ (or) % of my estate (or the property described herein) to be used for (You may specify your purpose, e.g., greatest need, a specific nonprofit, a cause such as homelessness, food security, arts, environment, human services, BIPOC organizations, education, support of emerging needs of local nonprofits through KCF's community grants process, etc.)

Informing us of your intent helps us ensure your wishes are honored. Thank you for your love and support of our beloved community!

By leveraging national estate planning awareness events, you can target messages and prompt your donors to include your organization in their estate plans.

Asking for a legacy gift does not need to feel like a rare, high-pressure conversation; instead, legacy gifts can become a natural option for loyal donors who want to see your work thrive for generations.

The team at Kitsap Community Foundation is happy to serve as a sounding board as you develop and strengthen both your annual giving and your legacy giving to ensure that your mission continues to deliver lasting, transformative impact—today and well into the future. Thank you for all you do.