Summer School for Planned Giving

School ended recently in the area where I live and everything seems to be in slow-mode.  The hustle and bustle of cars leaving driveways at 7:30 a.m. to get the kids to school is missing; around Noon the local fast food parking lot is filled with stationary carloads of teenagers; and, my neighbors are busy planting flower boxes and garden areas with colorful flowers.  Indeed, summer is here and it’s time to do something different – maybe go back to school!

I’ve always found this point in the year a good time to learn something new – something quick and useful.  Something that I can review and digest while sitting outside soaking up the sun and getting my minimum 15 minutes of Vitamin D for the day.  This year I’m reviewing twenty or so popular terms in three languages that I hope I’ll use while traveling abroad.  I’ve found that simple phrases such as “Good morning, Thank you, Please and I’m ready for the check,” are among the most useful to know.  My lessons will be in French, Italian and German because I want to travel soon in parts of Europe where they’ll be spoken.  My sister and annual travel partner has given me a few pocket books for my studies.

Perhaps learning useful terms in a new language is on your summer list as well.  If one of the languages you’ve wanted to learn is Planned Gifts, I’ve got a useful pocket book for you:  23 Planned Giving Terms You Should Know.  I wrote this glossary of common terms a few years ago.  You can find it in Blackbaud’s free non-profit resource center online at http://www.blackbaud.com/company/resources/whitepapers/whitepapers.aspx#Prospect  and also as the glossary to Michael J. Rosen’s new book “Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing,” published recently by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  No matter how you access it, take a few minutes while sun-soaking to learn how to get by in a foreign land.

Katherine Swank is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at katherine.swank@blackbaud.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katherine Swank, J.D.

Katherine Swank, JD, senior consultant at Target Analytics, a Blackbaud Company, helps nonprofits apply statistical analytics and donor research to their fundraising efforts with an emphasis on planned gifts. She has raised nearly $250 million for mission funding during her nonprofit development career. Katherine is a retired affiliate faculty member of Regis University’s master of Global Nonprofit Management degree program, where she taught courses on wealth and philanthropy.  Along with writing for publications like Advancing Philanthropy and Philanthropy Journal, she is also a frequent presenter for industry conferences such as NACGP, AFP, APRA, and bbcon. Having grown up in a tourist destination in Colorado, Katherine has become an avid world traveler and is exploring her way through the 1,000 places to see before you die, albeit slowly.  Connect with her on Twitter @KatherineSwank.