The All Important Message - Learn how to keep track of your progress

Learn how to audit your progress

One of the most important things to remember when rolling out your legacy program is to keep track of activity. (See below for list of various activities).

If you get going but don't include from the beginning a way of measuring how it's coming along, then you're going one step forward and two steps back.

This is because it can take a bit of time before you see results and you need to be able to demonstrate your progress in a tangible way to senior management and the Board.

It's not complicated to keep on top of things ,but it has to be done diligently on a regular basis.

Keep your notebook handy and be sure to record activity, however simple and basic it may seem.

Here are a few of the activities to track and record

Conversations and correspondence with donors AND potential supporters about planned giving :

• Phone calls
• Email correspondence
• Letters
• Responses to any materials placed in newsletters, brochures or advertisements
• Any telephone calls from lawyers (or notaries) who are preparing wills for a client and seek the organization's legal name, etc.
• Contacts with professional advisors such as any meetings, telephone calls, lunches, etc should be recorded
• Attendance by staff or volunteers at seminars, conferences, etc.
• If you start a Legacy Society (see other Module), keep track of the number of members who join.
  
  

Train others within your organization

Train your staff and Board to inform you about any conversations they have with supporters or prospective supporters, and to be on the lookout for planned giving opportunities.