Make the Most of Make-A-Will Month: A Guide for Churches and Faith-Based Nonprofits

Your legacy matters.

It’s the story you write with your life — a story you are writing right now! 

But, “Your legacy will probably be established by your final chapter, not necessarily your finest chapter,” said Pastor Andy Stanley. He continued…

“Your life’s most important work will probably not be your best work — your stellar career, the book you wrote, … your amazing investment portfolio, or even the great kids you raised…Your legacy will probably be established by your final chapter — the impact we can have as we approach and cross life’s finish line.”

Most of us don’t think about this as often as we should. That’s what national Make-A-Will month is for. 

Generally observed in August, Make-A-Will month is set aside for caring development professionals to walk alongside forward-thinking individuals as they make a plan for the impact of their legacy.

This is important and often daunting work for both development professionals and will-making individuals. But it is easier than you might think and worth the time commitment! 

In this article you will learn:

• Why churches and faith-based nonprofits should prioritize Make-A-Will month
• Three non-urgent reasons people make wills
• How churches can introduce Make-A-Will month
• How nonprofits can introduce Make-A-Will month
• The three steps of successful Make-A-Will month marketing

Keep reading to discover how you can make the most of Make-A-Will month for your church or nonprofit!

Why Churches and Faith-Based Nonprofits Should Prioritize Make-A-Will Month

Make-A-Will month is a simple way to move will-making to the top of the priority list for forward-thinking individuals and caring development professionals.

Prioritizing Make-A-Will month is worth it for churches and faith-based nonprofits for three reasons:

1. The Great Wealth Transfer is here. Currently, 45 million households are cumulatively passing on $90 trillion from one generation to the next! Cerulli Associates estimates that $10-$12 trillion of that will go to charity.  
2. Asset Gifts are usually larger than cash gifts. Most people make cash gifts because that’s what they’re asked to give. But only 10% of the average person’s wealth is held in cash. The other 90% of wealth is held in assets such as real estate, stock, and retirement accounts. When an individual is asked to give from their assets they are able to make bigger and better gifts. The will-making process helps people give from assets. 
3. Make-A-Will Month works. FreeWill shared that in August 2023 “more than 40,000 people made their will using FreeWill’s online software, and combined they left $604 million to charity!” Those numbers only include the wills and gifts made through FreeWill. 

One of the best ways to participate in the economic phenomenon of the Great Wealth Transfer and invite asset gifts is to host your own Make-A-Will month. If you’re still wondering whether Make-A-Will month is right for your organization, read this article for three critical considerations.  

Non-urgent Reasons People Make Wills

Only one-third of American adults have a will. But 64% of Americans say having a will is important. 

Can you relate? I can. 

I didn’t have a will until I was 44. 

Since my first job after college, a large portion of my work included explaining the importance of wills and walking alongside countless individuals as they planned gifts through their wills. But it wasn’t until I was about to board a plane with my husband to receive our first daughter in China that we signed wills of our own. 

I could tell you all the reasons you should have a will in my sleep, but it wasn’t until there was some risk, some urgency, someone depending on my life that I took action. 

But risk and urgency don’t have to be the only reasons someone makes a will. Here are three non-urgent reasons your donors may make a will: 

1. The process is clear and easy. Most people don’t know where to start when it comes to will-making. By making the process clear and easy you increase the likelihood that a donor will make a gift. One of the best ways for you to make will-making easy is to use easy-to-understand words. Dr. Russel James calls this “using family words.”
2. Donors feel comfortable sharing with you. Talking about death, wealth, and deeply held beliefs and values is inevitable during the will-making process. The idea of discussing these topics with a stranger can prevent many people from making a will. But when offered the space to discuss these topics with a trusted friend or advisor, you would be surprised how many people are not only willing, but eager, to have these conversations. 
3. A desire to provide for what they value. Wills are a plan for how a lifetime of hard-earned resources will be put to use when they are no longer needed. Planning to use one's resources for what they value most is often a joyful and life-giving process. Additionally, in the event of a loved one passing, a will provides those grieving with specific instructions for carrying out their loved one’s wishes.

Whether you’re ready to consider a will of your own or helping your donors explore the possibility of a will it’s important to ask the right questions. Here are four questions to consider during will-making. 

How Churches Can Introduce Make-A-Will Month

God does not take our gifts or the gifts of your congregants lightly or for granted. Jesus made this very clear when Mary anointed His feet.  

When the disciples said negative things about her act of devotion Jesus responded to them saying, “What Mary has done is a beautiful thing. Wherever the gospel is preached, what she has done will be told in memory of her. ”

The beautiful thing that Mary did was give away what may have been her dowry — financial assurance of marriage and security for her future. At the very least it was a whole year’s worth of income. God considered her incredible sacrifice both beautiful and worthy of retelling for thousands of years!

Do you live with the awareness that God does not take your gifts or the gifts of your congregants lightly or for granted? 

Have you clearly communicated how God values gifts with those who attend your church? 

A simple way you can help your congregants live with an awareness that God values our gifts is by inviting gifts and sharing stories of what previous gifts have made possible. 

Typically churches are good at inviting and receiving regular offerings — these are gifts congregants usually make from their income. But congregants can make gifts, sometimes even larger and more fulfilling gifts, from their assets through leaving legacy gifts, also called planned gifts. 

However, churches rarely invite or receive legacy gifts. If your church isn’t receiving legacy gifts it’s likely because congregants don’t know they’re an option. Three ways to effectively invite legacy gifts during Make-A-Will month or throughout the year are:

• Increase awareness. Plan for actively extending legacy gift invitations in print materials, online content, and from the pulpit. Celebrate and give thanks for the ways that previous legacy gifts continue to bless the people you serve. Make your job easier by downloading these customizable Make-A-Will Month Marketing Templates.
• Make will-making important and as easy as possible. Help your members understand how making a will is an act of Christian stewardship. Schedule an attorney to be available to help your congregants create their wills at your church for a few Saturday mornings, or partner with FreeWill.
• Extend the legacy gift invitation as part of your stewardship appeal. When you’re inviting members to commit pledges for the coming year, ask them to also indicate if they’ve already included the church in their will or would like to learn more about that option.

Whether or not you choose to have a Make-A-Will month, legacy gift invitations are part of clergy members’ important work because they guide congregants to practice biblical financial stewardship. 

How Nonprofits Can Introduce Make-A-Will Month

Have you ever been to a Pampered Chef party?

First, you’re invited to the party. Once you arrive you’re invited to help make yummy food using fancy kitchen products. Then you’re invited to buy some of said products. Next, you’re asked to host a party. And finally, you’re invited to become a Pampered Chef Rep.

That’s a lot of asks from one party invitation! In fact, four invitations were stacked on the original party invitation. 

In fundraising, we have something similar called “blended gift invitations.” Using a blended gift invitation can be an effective and gracious fundraising strategy. It is particularly effective during Make-A-Will month and the last quarter of the year.

For most nonprofits, the last quarter of the calendar year is the most significant gift income quarter of the year. This happens for a variety of reasons, including the simple inclination to give to charities because of the holiday season and seeking tax benefits. 

As you engage in end-of-year giving conversations you should be intentional to blend (or stack) the legacy gift invitation. Consider the following situations: 

• Your donor has just said “yes” to your invitation to repeat or increase their annual gift. Respond by sharing your thanks for their faithful support. Then ask, “Many of our most loyal friends have included this organization in their will. Is this something you’d be willing to consider?”
• Your donor has just shared their intent to make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to your organization from their retirement plan. Thank them and briefly share the impact that gift will have on your ministry. Follow up with, “Many of our friends who give from their IRAs during life have also named our organization as a final beneficiary of their plan. Is this a legacy gift you’d be willing to learn more about?”
• Your donor has discovered the tax benefits of gifting stock. Confirm your donor’s intent to make another year-end stock gift, and continue with “Many of our donors are also using their appreciated stock to fund legacy gifts. For example, some friends establish endowments so they can support their charitable priorities in perpetuity. Would you be willing to begin a legacy giving conversation together?” 

If you don’t already have a legacy giving program, Make-A-Will month is a great time to start one. Join church and faith-based nonprofit leaders walking through the steps of launching (or relaunching) a legacy giving program in Legacy Giving Group Coaching. 

Make-A-Will Month Marketing

One of the best ways to comfortably start a will-making conversation is to make it familiar. 

Familiar means to know someone or something well. By regularly introducing the idea of legacy giving and will-making to your donors you make it familiar. Luckily, regularly introducing legacy giving and will-making to your donors doesn’t all have to be done through phone calls and face-to-face visits. 

You can create this familiarity through your messaging and marketing in three ways:

Recurring Marketing Language Throughout the Year

The marketing rule of seven states that on average it takes seven interactions with a brand before a conversion is made. 

This means two things for churches and faith-based nonprofits. First, potential and current donors need to interact with you seven times before taking action, so it’s going to be really hard for you to talk about will-making too much! Second, you need to talk about will-making all year long — not just in August — to set your Make-A-Will month up for success.

Three ways to talk about will-making throughout the year:

1. Newsletters. You can share stories about people who supported your cause through their will. You can also simply ask, “Do you have a will? If so, have you considered adding [INSERT ORGANIZATION’S NAME] in your will?”
2. Giving page. Your giving page should have a full range of gift options including recurring gifts, stock donations, and how to make a planned gift. 
3. Social media. Similar to the newsletter, share stories of people who have made gifts to your work through their will and ask, “Do you have a will? Did you know you can make a gift to [INSERT ORGANIZATION’S NAME] in your will?

If you’re ready to make a year-round plan for introducing and inviting asset gifts through will-making, the Fundraising Plan Package is for you. Through this personalized and consultant-guided workshop clients like you have been able to establish fundraising goals and align their efforts to achieve those goals on time with strategic action.

Specific Invitations During Make-A-Will Month

During Make-A-Will you need to make clear and specific invitations for your supporters to make their wills or add you to their wills.

Three messaging tips for Make-A-Will month:

1. Tell stories. Stories capture attention, are memorable, and help readers see themselves making similar choices. 
2. Peer invitations. Instead of simply asking readers to consider adding your to their will, invite them to join other generous donors in making your work possible. Use phrases like “join fellow supporters.”
3. Make it simple. Take the overwhelm out of will-making by summarizing the will-making process in three steps. 

Download two Make-A-Will month emails and three social media posts to customize and use for your church or nonprofit HERE.

Working-Language Scripts

All team members and board members need working language to begin conversations about asset gifts during Make-A-Will month and throughout the year.

Create “scripts” so that everyone on your team knows what to say. Scripts help your team feel confident they’re saying the right thing. In turn, confidence increases the chances that your team will begin asset gift conversations. Scripts also give your organization consistent messaging. You can use these scripts in all your messaging, not just verbal communication.

If you’re ready to set your team up for success with asset gift conversations our Legacy Giving Coaching would be a great fit for you. If self-paced learning is more your style you will like the Legacy Giving Basics online course. 

Your Turn

You can do this work. How do I know? Well…

Helping forward-thinking individuals consider will-making, is relational. And if there’s one thing I know fundraisers are good at, it’s building relationships. 

This article gave you the strategic steps and tools to invite legacy gifts, and you already have the relational skills you need for this work!

If you would like support implementing these strategies, schedule a call with us HERE.

Co-authored by Brenda Moore, CFRE and Samantha Roose.