The Pentera Blog
Pentera Research Featured in Giving USA 2021
Research by Pentera CEO Claudine Donikian is featured in the bequest section of Giving USA 2021, the prestigious annual report on charitable giving released earlier this month. The report discusses findings and best practices in the whitepaper, "Pentera's National Survey Findings: Best Practices for Marketing to Planned Giving Donors During COVID-19." (The whitepaper can be requested here.)
"I'm pleased that my research and the best practices I developed are included in Giving USA 2021, which is the most comprehensive national report on charitable giving," said Ms. Donikian, who devised the Pentera research study and wrote the whitepaper.
Giving USA's description of Pentera's research includes:
"(A) national survey by Pentera found that 79 percent of nonprofits sent a planned giving spring 2020 marketing newsletter. Among those sending newsletters, the most popular topic was the CARES Act, which was passed in March 2020."
The Giving USA report also includes best practices from the whitepaper developed by Ms. Donikian:
"(Be sure to select a tone that will sit well with donors) within the context of the pandemic: messages of care and concern can help strengthen relationships, as can messages about the impact on your organization and how donors can support the communities your organization serves."
"I recommended to our clients that they switch their spring newsletter topic from topics like the importance of having an estate plan—which could have been perceived as insensitive—to the CARES Act. It was a topic that was both timely and neutral in its educational nature, serving as a resource to inform donors about the tax and charitable implications of the new law," Ms. Donikian said.
That strategy is supported by two of the "Good to Know" best practice recommendations in the bequest section of the new Giving USA report: "educate your donors about their options" and "clearly communicate tax implications."
Pentera's research-based whitepaper also recommended that charities "carefully craft your message for uncertain times"—including messages of care and concern—and that charities include messages about the impact of COVID on their organization and the positive impact of their response. Giving USA makes similar recommendations in the other two best practices included in the bequest section of its report: "remain sensitive to the greater social, economic, and political context" and "focus on your mission."
