Written by Jenny Alstad and Andi Judt

Jenny Alstad (L) is the Senior Director of Prospect Development at the College of Charleston. Andi Judt (R)is a Gift Planning Officer at the College of Charleston. Together, we’re exploring how to combine quantitative and qualitative data to surface transformational planned giving prospects.  

What makes someone a great prospect for planned giving? It sounds like a simple question, until you start digging into the details. A quick Google search turns up countless articles on the topic, each offering a slightly different take on the standard segments.

At the College of Charleston, we’ve spent a lot of time discussing this question together. When Andi stepped into her new role as a gift planning officer in 2024, her first instinct was to get out of the office and meet with prospects. 

Together with our team, we crafted a portfolio that included a mix of current planned giving donors, what we would call traditional planned giving prospects, and a healthy mix of pure discovery work. What we found was both fascinating and transformative to our pipeline.  

What the Data Tells Us

When it comes to identifying strong planned giving prospects, the data in your database can be your most powerful guide, if you know where to look. We’ve certainly found that there is no one-size-fits-all formula, but certain patterns consistently emerge among those most likely to include an institution in their estate plans. 

Our starting point is always loyalty. Planned gifts are often (but not always!) rooted in long-standing relationships, so it’s important to identify individuals who have demonstrated consistent engagement over time. A few of our favorite segments include: 

• Recent gifts - Particularly within the last three years

• Lifetime giving - Consistent giving over time, regardless of size. 

• Event attendance - Those loyal event-goers who show up for everything. You may need to do some digging here if your organization doesn’t track event attendance in your database!

• Volunteer service - Who are those volunteers that have served in every role ever created at your organization? 

• Family relationships - Individuals without direct heirs often think differently about their legacy and are more open to talking about their lasting impact.

Real Stories from the Field

Analyzing data is always a smart first step in growing your planned giving program, but one of the most valuable prospect pools is right in front of you: your current planned giving donors. Your team likely already understands the importance of strong stewardship for these donors, whether through special recognition events, impact newsletters, milestone acknowledgments, or behind-the-scenes updates. But one essential stewardship opportunity often gets overlooked: regularly checking in with planned giving donors to review their gift documentation.

These reviews are more than just administrative—they’re moments to strengthen relationships and gain valuable insight. Has the donor updated their estate plans? Increased their commitment? Changed the designation of their gift? Perhaps they’re now considering additional assets to include in their legacy. A one-on-one conversation every five years or so is a meaningful touchpoint that can lead to welcome surprises. In fact, we recently met with a planned giving donor who shared that he had increased his estate commitment to the College from six figures to seven. What a transformational gift we might not have known about otherwise!

While quantitative data from prospect research is critical, qualitative insights from conversations can be just as impactful. Reviewing visit notes and looking for common themes among current planned giving donors can reveal helpful patterns. At the College, we’ve found that many donors choose to include us in their estate plans between the ages of 50 and 70, so we plan our marketing and outreach accordingly. We’ve seen strong engagement from undergraduate alumni working in academia, several of whom have established scholarships through their estate plans. Our peers in the advancement profession have also been remarkably generous, often just waiting for the opportunity to talk with someone about their philanthropic goals. Another trend we’ve noticed is donors choosing to direct their planned gifts to existing honor or memorial funds - cementing their legacy and highlighting the deep connection to the College community.

Bringing It All Together

For us, the most exciting part of this work is seeing how strategy and curiosity intersect. We’ve found that when we combine the analytical lens of prospect development with relational insights, we uncover opportunities we might have otherwise missed. As our work together continues, we’re excited to keep refining our approach and learning from the unexpected connections, thoughtful conversations, and generous individuals who make this work so rewarding.