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How the Savviest Nonprofits are Navigating Planned Giving in 2020

As we close 2020 and ready for 2021, we’ll take on some of the key questions facing planned giving teams:

• How and when should nonprofits ask for donations during the Coronavirus pandemic without being insensitive?
• How will donors respond to requests for gifts?
• How can nonprofits keep donor relationships strong and sustain engagement over the next six months without in-person meetings or events?
• How can nonprofits be supportive of donors without making a direct ask?
• How can I fundraise if my organization isn’t doing work related to COVID-19?

Patrick W. Schmitt is the co-founder of FreeWill, a social venture which has helped organizations raise nearly $2B in new planned gifts and qualified charitable distributions. Patrick and his co-founder Jenny were recently named two of the Top 50 Philanthropists in the World by Town & Country.

From 2009-2010, Patrick ran email fundraising for President Obama, where his team invented many of the existing best practices in digital fundraising. He served as Head of Innovation at Change.org, helping to grow that organization to 200 million members in just four years. 

Patrick received his BS from Georgetown University and MBA from Stanford University.