About Us
Why some don’t choose VirtualGiving
We are not trying to be funny, but the following are true reasons why we lost some clients.
The “other guys” (the competition) are bigger than you are.
True. And if you prefer a Cadillac (General Motors, the larger company) to a Mercedes, you should go with the other vendor. Besides, it's not how many clients we have. It's who our clients are.
The “other guys” have been in business longer than you have.
Also true. But in our New Economy, traditional and older planned giving marketing tools are simply getting less and less response. We’re the new firm with the fresh, new ideas. We’re not like the other “planned giving newsletter company”. Simply put: no old stock.
I am not ready for planned giving.
The most popular excuse. But if you’re a non-profit, you already are in the planned giving “business.” This excuse is usually to cover up the reactive mode a non-profit is in trying to raise cash gifts, versus being proactive and raising more and larger funds for their future endowment.
Not now! Contact me next spring. I have to deal with some major events between summer and fall.
Next spring comes and goes… “Please contact me next summer. I'll be ready to talk then. I promise!” Again, opportunities for large bequests are lost: hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars. Reactive vs. proactive. Unfortunately, many don’t realize that the average time from inception to maturity for a planned gift is 7-10 years — only a few years longer than most campaign pledge periods. And more and more younger people are making planned gifts. A must read: Planned Giving Myths and Answers.
It’s not in my budget.
Giving up $500,000 in bequests to save $3,000 in your budget? Think about this one hard, and balance cost with value and return on investment (ROI).
I am a close friend with the president of the other vendor. I can’t let him down.
No comment. No contest.
We got a lot of tools and a better deal from your competition.
Chances are most of the tools you will never need and many will not work. Some will probably even alienate your prospects. A must read article.
It’s such a pain to put up a planned giving website.
Not really. We do 95% of the work, and we are a delight to work with. And after your site is up and running, you’ll admit how much easier it’s made your life.
We’re too young for planned giving.
We have non-profit clients less than 8 years old who have built endowments of more than $7 million. It simply does not take that much of an effort. What it takes is commitment. Remember: 43% of bequests and 35% of charitable remainder trusts are created by individuals 55 and younger. 15% of planned gifts are by those 45 and younger. And there are always parents and friends. Here are some hard-hitting facts.
Too young for planned giving? How about: old enough to plan for the future.
It takes too long. We need the cash now.
The average time from inception to maturity for a planned gift is 7-10 years — only a few years longer than most campaign pledge periods. And remember, the typical planned giving target is 200 times a donor's largest annual fund gift.
We do not have wealthy prospects for planned gifts.
Donors at all financial levels take advantage of planned gifts. Wealth screening and demographic criteria alone are poor predictors of propensity to make a planned gift. The highest predictor is institutional loyalty. Remember: Most planned gift donors give small gifts year after year rather than larger donations: 69% of planned giving donors give less than $500 per year and are unrated prospects!
The other guys (the competition) made a better presentation.
We’re not the slickest salespeople in the world. But look at our products… they speak for themselves. There's a reason why leading organizations have chosen us: our products are the best you'll find. We guarantee it.
If you are considering VirtualGiving to become your trusted partner, please read our firm's philosophy, Stop Promoting Death, by Viken Mikaelian.