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You’ve received a bequest commitment through FreeWill. Congratulations! Now, it’s time to follow up with the donor and say thank you. How should you reach out to your FreeWill donors? This guide will help you to create a plan to steward your FreeWill donors with our best practices for success. 

 

In the table below, you will find the Donor Insights surfaced in your Partner Portal. Keep reading for how to take action on these insights:

 

The donor has shared their contact information.

  • Use the Donor Insights provided to determine how you will steward this donor.
  • For priority donors, we recommend reaching out as soon as possible, within 1 week. 

The donor has chosen to be anonymous.

  • We recommend respecting the donor’s preferences and not sending outreach. FreeWill takes its users' privacy very seriously and never shares user information unless authorized by the user.
  • FreeWill sends a thank you email on behalf of your organization.

The donor came through your custom FreeWill site, the public FreeWill site, or another organization’s custom FreeWill site.

  • Check your fundraising database to see if they are an existing member and/or donor. Build on existing relationships with existing members/donors. Introduce new donors to your organization with a welcome message or series.

  • In your first message, we recommend reaching out to build a connection with the donor. Use FreeWill’s stewardship templates to get in touch.  

Draft: The donor has drafted their online estate plan but may still be finalizing the plan’s details.

  • This status means the donor has reached the download page, but has not yet downloaded their estate plan. 
  • If you do not have an existing relationship with the donor, we recommend waiting to contact them. They may still be making final decisions.
  • This status will be updated as the donor completes their online estate plan.

  • If they are an existing donor to your organization, you may wish to reach out to them and introduce yourself.

  • The donor can reach out to help@freewill.com with any questions.

Completed: The donor has completed the online portion of their estate plan and may still be in the process of executing it.

  • This status means the donor has downloaded or emailed their estate plan. 

  • Reach out soon to thank them for considering your organization as part of their legacy. 

  • They may be in the process of finalizing their documents by consulting with family members, getting their documents witnessed, or bringing their drafted estate plan to a qualified attorney. Donors should follow the next steps outlined in their FreeWill documents. 

  • You may consider sharing resources for estate plan finalization, such as this blog post. The donor can reach out to help@freewill.com with any questions.

The donor is under 40 years old.

  • Younger donors most likely view their estate plans as flexible and subject to change. Reach out to them, but be aware their gift can change over time. Encourage donors to keep their estate plans up-to-date. Share FreeWill as a resource provided by your organization as a stewardship touchpoint. 

The donor is 40-65 years old.

  • This generation of donors is highly charitable. Their estate plan may not yet be final, as their estate plan can be updated over time. Steward these donors with your legacy donors. Learn more from our webinar on Gen X donors.

The donor is over 65 years old.

The donor may have minor children at home.

  • The donor may be less likely to respond to stewardship but this does not mean they won’t follow through with their gift. Keep outreach short, simple, and easy to read at a glance.

The donor did not report any children in their estate plan.

  • Research shows donors without children are more likely to follow through with their bequest intentions. Prioritize contacting this donor with our stewardship templates and making a custom stewardship plan. 

The donor specified a fixed gift amount.

  • Use the gift value as a guideline, and recognize it can change over time with the donor’s estate plan.
  • Consider the amount of the gift as you make your stewardship plan.

The donor specified a percentage of their estate.

  • The value of this gift may change if the donor’s estate value changes. Consider the estimated gift amount as a benchmark for your stewardship plan.
  • Because it is an estimate, do not share the estimated value with donors.
  • Percentage gifts are an estimated value. Use this gift value as a guideline, and recognize it can change with the donor’s estate size. 

The donor named your organization as a primary beneficiary.

  • This indicates your organization is “first in line” to receive the gift. Prioritize contacting this donor and making a custom stewardship plan.

The donor named your organization as a secondary beneficiary.

  • This indicates your organization is “second in line” to receive the gift if the donor’s first beneficiary predeceases them. They should still be considered for outreach. We recommend adding these donors to your legacy society, if applicable. See our guide to contingent bequests.

The donor named your organization as a tertiary beneficiary.

  • This indicates that your organization is “third in line” to receive the gift if the donor’s first and second beneficiaries predecease them. See our guide to contingent bequests.

The donor specified multiple gifts to your organization.

  • Make sure your outreach takes into consideration all of their gifts. View their contact profile to see a complete list of gifts made through FreeWill. You may consider this donor as a top prospect. Prioritize contacting this donor and making a custom stewardship plan.

 

➡️ Jump to section: Take action from donor insights

 

 

What is stewardship?

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Donor stewardship is one of the most important steps of the fundraising cycle. When a donor makes a bequest commitment, they are showing their connection to your organization’s mission and desire to create a lasting legacy in support of that mission. Your donors may be new to your organization, long-term volunteers, or staff members deeply familiar with your mission.

 

Some donors may choose to be anonymous or prefer to not be contacted or thanked, according to their values and understanding of legacy giving. Stewardship is most impactful when tailored to the individual’s preferences and their relationship with your organization.

 

Stewardship is the process of thanking a donor for their support and helping them to build a deeper connection with your organization over time. Despite the many cases in which planned gifts come "out of the blue," research shows that maintaining relationships with donors is important to gift realization.

 

When planned giving experts Dr. Russell James and Roewen Wishart surveyed nonprofits in 2021, they found the realization rate for planned gifts doubled when donors received at least one communication from the nonprofit within 2 years of death. This study demonstrates that regular communication is key to gift realization. FreeWill is here to support your stewardship efforts to make the most of your time and effort. 

What are the three stages of stewardship?

We define three stages of stewardship: identification, cultivation, and realization. Each of these stages aligns with similar stages of the fundraising cycle. Keep reading for more insights to make your stewardship plan impactful for your organization and relationships with FreeWill donors.

 

 

Identification: Connect with new legacy donors

In the identification phase, you connect with new legacy donors through FreeWill. You may receive new leads through a FreeWill featureship or by sending outreach to a broad-base email list. We start with the identification of your new planned giving donors. FreeWill grows your planned giving pipeline to include diverse donors of all ages to help your organization build a foundation for many years into the future. Many donors may prefer to not be recognized, but they still have a strong charitable affiliation. As a donor shared with FreeWill's research team:

 

"I want to leave a positive legacy. If at my death, someone or a group could benefit... or if I could help someone, that's a positive for me. I would be very happy knowing that a group I believed in, or friends of mine believed in, could help a cause I care about. That would give me a sense of joy."

 

For donors who have completed their online estate plan, reach out to them as soon as possible, within 1 week, to thank them and open a line of communication for the future. Donors have taken the first step by creating an online estate plan and including your organization in their plans. At this early stage, the donor may still be executing their estate plan offline, so you should start building a relationship with a "soft" connection before discussing the details of their estate plan.

Select your top legacy prospects 

While all FreeWill donors should receive stewardship from your organization, we know that your time and capacity are limited. You may wish to prioritize certain donors to reach out to personally. From research by Dr. Russell James, FreeWill donor interviews, and our 2023 Planned Giving Report, we have identified attributes of individuals most likely to follow through on a planned gift:

  • Primary bequest donors
  • Donors with higher values of percentage or fixed gifts
  • Donors ages 65+
  • Donors without children
  • Donors with multiple gifts to your organization or real-time gifts
  • Donors close in physical proximity for geographic-specific organizations

As a next step, we recommend adding these donors to gift officer portfolios for more personalized communication.

 

Take action from donor insights

 

Through your FreeWill Partner Portal, your team will receive actionable insights to contact your donors according to their age, life stage, and preferences. We recommend using your Partner Portal to:

      1. Find insights in a donor’s gift commitment page and contact view page
      2. Easily export data to add donors to your CRM and gift officer workflows
      3. Tag your donors as legacy donors to receive high-level organization updates

As you take action, consider taking a donor-centric approach to stewardship. Thank donors for their support, and make it as personal as possible. Each legacy donor has a unique story and motivation for making a planned gift. When you recognize donors, be sure to ask for their consent. Some donors may wish to keep their estate plans private, and others may not wish to be recognized publicly. 

 

We know how exciting it is to learn of a new bequest commitment, but FreeWill donors are likely to be different from other legacy donors who may have reached out to your organization proactively. Many donors are busy, and even long-term, loyal donors may not respond to emails. According to industry data, only 8.5% of cold email outreach receives a response. On the topic of planned giving, donors may still be finalizing their plans with their attorney or family members, or they may not feel comfortable discussing their personal estate plans with a gift officer. 

 

To boost donor response rates, consider texting donors first. Nonprofits are 8 times more likely to get a response from a text message than a voicemail or email to a donor. It is important to use multiple touchpoints and keep the lines of communication open. 

 

Click below to download stewardship templates for donors who have completed their will or trust.

 

Want to connect with a FreeWill donor whose plan is in "Draft" status? Click here for a template!

 

Download stewardship templates

 

 

 
Cultivation: Help donors get to know your mission and organization

Once you have identified your new legacy donors, you will begin the process of relationship building. At the cultivation stage, you connect donors with your organization. Your FreeWill Partner Portal provides you with actionable data to inform your stewardship plan and top prospects for cultivation.

 

Include your FreeWill donors in your overall stewardship plan. Introduce donors to your work and impact through storytelling and data. Consider sharing volunteer opportunities, inviting donors to virtual or in-person events, or extending an invitation to join your organization’s legacy society. You can also create a drip email series campaign to introduce new donors to your programs and mission.

 

Read more: How to start a legacy society

 

Our research shows that donors will have varying expectations and levels of interest in connecting with your organization’s day-to-day operations. While some planned giving donors may enjoy receiving a weekly newsletter, others prefer to receive only high-level updates, such as quarterly or annual letters.

 

Ask your FreeWill donors for permission to send fundraising email solicitations. For partners with the Smart Giving Suite (including our stock and QCD products), you may consider selecting a group of FreeWill bequest donors as major gift prospects to cultivate and solicit real-time gifts. Donors with a history in your email database will make top prospects for these types of gifts. We recommend including these donors in your fundraising cultivation plan for real-time gifts.

 

FreeWill provides stewardship templates to help you reach out to FreeWill donors. These milestones can be applied to all methods of outreach – text message, phone call, email, and print mail. You may adjust the timing for each milestone according to your organizational calendar and donor communications.

 

Milestones to engage FreeWill donors

Reach out to confirm donor contact information

 

Estate planning will be top-of-mind for donors in the first week. Take advantage of the opportunity to make your first contact with donors. 

  • Best practice: Include a Call to Action button. Including a concrete Call to Action (CTA), such as “Confirm my email address,” can help donors quickly engage. Your CTA can direct donors to a “thank you” page or collect more information via a donor contact information survey. 
  • Next step: Be sure to follow up with donors you haven’t heard from in 1 week. Depending on your initial outreach, send a text message, phone call, or follow-up email. Segment your follow-up to donors based on who “opened” the email with a short note: Hi [name], I wanted to follow up on this request. Could you take a minute to confirm your information today? Thank you! 

Invite the donor to join your email newsletter

 

Provide the opportunity for donors to opt into regular communication with your organization to stay informed about your daily work and impact. 

  • Best practice: Include a Call to Action button that asks donors to join your email newsletter. Consider adding a visual to this email to increase your click-through rate. Send a variation of this email to donors who have already confirmed their gift.
  • Next step: Send an email welcome series to your new subscribers. You can consider sending 3-5 messages over the next several months featuring stories of impact, recent news, videos, or testimonials from your community or fellow legacy donors.

Share ways to create a legacy

 

Invite the donor to a phone conversation to get to know their story, goals, and how they wish to make an impact in the future.

  • Best practice: Include a scheduling link, such as Calendly, to make it easier for donors. If you don’t hear back from donors, send a follow-up email and propose 1-2 time slots to give them a call.
  • Next step: Add your FreeWill donors to your CRM. We recommend keeping track of FreeWill donors as part of your ongoing donor cultivation and stewardship efforts by tagging them as FreeWill legacy donors. You can also record any program designations or areas of interest.

Invite the donor to an event

 

Share an invitation to an upcoming, exclusive event for legacy donors. This could be a virtual or in-person event. 

  • Best practice: Ask donors how they wish to be recognized. While some donors may wish to be recognized publicly, some may choose to remain anonymous.
  • Next step: Combine the email invitation with a direct mail piece for your top prospects. Integrating direct mail and digital marketing has been shown to increase response rates to up to 28% for nonprofits.

Celebrate the donor’s FreeWill anniversary

 

It has been one year since your donor created their will on FreeWill! Take this opportunity to celebrate and recognize your organization’s impact in the past year.

  • Best practice: Send a thank you card in the mail, as a personal touch. This may also remind donors to keep their estate plans up to date.
  • Next step: Keep your donors informed and engaged. Continue to send donors high-level organizational updates and invitations to legacy society events.

 

Keep in touch and share high-level updates

 

Following these milestones, we recommend incorporating FreeWill donors in your annual stewardship plan.

  • Best practice: Keep a record of donor interactions in your Partner Portal. On the Gift Details page, you can add comments and update the gift status to keep your records up-to-date.
  • Next step: Make an annual stewardship plan. Continue to send donors high-level organizational updates and invitations to exclusive events. Keep reading for more strategies to build long-lasting relationships with donors. 
 
Make an annual stewardship plan

Stewarding legacy donors is key to your organization’s long-term planned giving success. Here are some annual stewardship best practices that you can use to show your appreciation to your FreeWill donors:

  • Host an annual legacy society event: Hosting an annual event, such as an in-person or virtual tour, is an effective way to engage with donors and keep them connected to the organization's mission. This could provide an opportunity to showcase the impact of their future gifts and allow donors to meet with staff and other legacy donors.
  • Send an annual thank you card: A simple thank you card can go a long way in showing appreciation to donors and building a personal connection. A personalized note can mention the donor’s desired area of impact or gift designation. You can also use digital tools like Handwrytten to save time while ensuring a personal touch. 
  • Assign legacy donors to gift officers: Assigning legacy donors to regional directors and gift officers can help to build stronger relationships and provide more personalized attention to legacy donors. This approach ensures the donor feels valued and engaged with the organization, increasing the cultivation opportunity for real-time gifts.
  • Send a "thinking of you" note: If you know the donor is interested in a particular program or mission area, consider sending a “thinking of you” note with a photo and recent impact story. This approach can help the donor to make a personal connection with your mission on a day-to-day basis.
  • Celebrate birthdays and FreeWill anniversaries: Recognizing important milestones like donors’ birthdays and FreeWill anniversaries can help to create a sense of community and loyalty among donors. This thoughtful touch can help you to build a long-term relationship with the donor and keep them engaged for years to come.

Looking for an example stewardship plan? Read more about how the American Heart Association took 3 effective steps to build relationships with legacy donors and confirm gifts.

 

Realization: See gifts in the future to support your mission

Keep in touch with your FreeWill donors over the course of the donor’s lifetime. Donors can update their will for free, as their needs and life situations change. We recommend keeping donors in the loop with quarterly updates and reaching out to donors to make a personal connection every 1-3 years. 

 

As you keep in touch with donors, be sure to share data with leadership about the planned giving pipeline you are growing for your organization’s future. You may wish to share data with your board on a quarterly basis, including the number of estate plans created and new legacy commitments raised through FreeWill. 

 

In addition to surfacing donor insights, FreeWill’s Partner Portal will identify when a FreeWill legacy donor has passed away. When you see this update, you may begin to steward the donor’s family and ensure the donor’s wishes and legacy are honored. FreeWill is here to support your team in each step of the stewardship journey. Read more: What to do when a donor dies

 
Level up your stewardship knowledge with FreeWill training

Congratulations! You’re on your way to becoming a stewardship expert. Donor stewardship is an essential pillar of your planned giving program. By implementing the above strategies, your organization can cultivate long-term relationships, foster loyalty, and secure critical support for years to come.

 

To level up your knowledge and expertise, join us for upcoming partner trainings on stewardship and cultivating your FreeWill donors.

 

As a next step, check out our recorded partner training on FreeWill's stewardship research study with our User Experience team:

 

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