The Pentera Blog
Get On Board with Generational, Life-Stage Marketing
Marketing in the planned-giving field is not a "one size fits all" approach. On the contrary, when it comes to selecting charitable gift vehicles, your donors' ages, income, and values all come into play. Businesses don't try to sell teenagers on the benefits of an anti-wrinkle cream; similarly, they don't market skateboards to retired adults. The same is true for your organization's planned-giving marketing: it's necessary to recognize and accurately gauge the needs of your donors in their various life stages. Furthermore, it is imperative that your marketing materials engage donors based on their generational cohorts' values and psychographics.
Life-stage marketing means communicating effectively with all potential donors. Each generation faces unique challenges and requires different solutions to satisfy life goals. For instance, a young donor's primary focus may be family obligations and career building. Someone further along in his or her career is likely contemplating financial issues related to retirement. A person who is already retired may be considering the distribution of his or her property, maintaining a steady flow of income, and leaving a legacy for future generations.
In planned giving, donors need information on the best charitable gift options to meet their life-stage objectives and the tax benefits of those choices. To better achieve these aims, we created the following generational life-stage marketing tools:
• The Life-Stage Gift Planner™ is an interactive and customizable feature for donors found on the client planned-giving Web sites we host, available since 1999. This easy-to-use donor-centered feature allows individuals to discover appropriate gift plans based on their life stages.
• The Life-Stage Marketer™ refers to content and strategies Pentera uses in client marketing materials. This content is developed and written based on our 35 years of experience in helping thousands of organizations successfully market planned gifts, independent research in the planned-giving field, research from the private sector, and generational-marketing strategies.
When your organization takes into account the generational requirements of your donors, your planned-giving communications are more effective. A younger donor is probably a Baby Boomer and, for example, may appreciate information on the importance of having a will, deferred gift annuities, and charitable gift deductions. An older donor is probably an older Baby Boomer (a "trailing edge" Boomer) and may be interested in charitable gifts of stock or providing for loved ones through a charitable gift annuity. An even older donor is probably retired and a member of the older Boomer cohort (the "leading edge" Boomer) or possibly even a member of the Silent Generation and may be interested in learning about a retained life estate, gift annuity rate changes, or an IRA rollover. Each of these generational cohorts need to be marketed to differently.
At Pentera, producing donor-centric planned-giving marketing materials is our specialty. We can customize your marketing materials to address the various life stages of your donors. Donors can then make the best gift decisions to fulfill their charitable desires, while also benefitting your organization. Contact us today to learn more about incorporating our Life-Stage Marketer™ and Life-Stage Gift Planner™ into your organization's planned-giving strategy.
