From time to time, we mark important moments in the planned giving world with a discussion around the current state of this form of fundraising. We done it again. This time it is a way to look at the 15 years we have been working to raise the bar within the sector around planned giving. Joining me for this discussion are noted experts in the field Peggy Killeen, CFRE, Grant Monck, LL.B and Ken Ramsay, one of the 'founders' of planned giving as a profession in Canada. The conversation is honest - both in a positive and critical way - and offers both practical and strategic next steps for the sector and for your organization.

In our 15 years, PGgrowth has had as part of our team extraordinary leaders and experts in planned giving. This year, we will be taking the time to highlight these professionals. Peggy Killeen is a well known leader in the planned giving sector. Based in Montreal, her impact is national not only helping charities create and launch programs but also mentoring staff and inspiring donor engagement. At the core of her work is the understanding that anyone can become a philanthropist and that through planned giving we in the charitable sector can 'democratize' major giving - and its impact on charities, communities and Canadians. Her journey is unique in specifics but not unique in that her arrival in planned giving was not the original destination - but it has made all the difference.

In our 15 years, PGgrowth has had as part of our team extraordinary leaders and experts in planned giving. This year, we will be taking the time to highlight these professionals. First up is Grant Monck - leader in planned giving for 30 years, sector expert in blended gifts, a fixture both in British Columbia and across the country in leading best in practice programs. His journey to planned giving success, like many others, did not start in fundraising. He, like so many others, was drawn to working in the charitable sector by personal experience, thoughtful examination of the career he wanted to have - and being at the right place at the right time. Although his journey did not start in fundraising, through his time working with charities, mentoring organizational leadership and staff, inspiring volunteers and engaging with donors, Grant has helped to shape how we approach planned giving in Canada. His thoughts are both inspirational and practical.

In this second pod focusing on our webinar series Driving PG Forward from the Fall of 2023, Ken Ramsay - noted planned giving expert and data guru - gives one of the best arguments for understanding your organization's data and planned giving opportunity I have ever heard – and I have heard Ken talk about this many times before.

It is all about the gap.

The gap is the space between your current planned giving successes and your planned giving potential. Until you take the time to understand the true revenue potential that is within your stakeholder base, it will be difficult for your organization to chart the necessary path to maximize success. It is a fundamental next step after determining the characteristics of the type of program you should be operating. It will help drive your program forward.

The first of four pods excerpted from our webinar series in the Fall of 2023 titled DRIVING PLANNED GIVING FORWARD. This episode looks at determining organization type and what best practices are the correct ones to implement and follow. What does your organization need to consider when establishing a program? How do you measure success? It is where an organization must start to ensure predictable and sustainable planned giving growth and success.

In May of 2020, with the pandemic officially taking hold of all of our daily lives, PGgrowth held a Town Hall to examine fundraising in the ear of lock downs and economic unknowns. Now, 3 years later, we look at the after-effects of COVID, lessons learned - or not - and what to do so that your program is ready for the next economic down turn, whether it is caused by a pandemic, a bad economy or some other un-expected factors.

Working with charities across the country, we do find one common thread when professionals discuss their ability to - or inability to - launch a truly proactive program: leadership commitment. While the rational and the data continues to support proactive engagement of supporters to increase giving in the way, organizations continue to hesitate, missing the important leadership imperative to launch a program. In the end, this hesitation is simply a decision to 'leave money on the table'. In this discussion we hear from Doug Earle, current CEO of the West Park Hospital Foundation (Toronto) and former CEO of Fighting Blindness Canada about the leadership decisions and steps he took to launch a program and position his organization in transformational success in the area of fundraising.

This one is from the archives and firmly focused on the future. My colleague Katherine Blake is regularly talking about the coming transfer of wealth - one that we know of well in planned giving - and the fact that charities need to get involved now in planned giving or risk missing the opportunity. This reminded me of a conversation I had with Ken Ramsay a few years back. It was about the charitable giving circumstances of the time and how they had made that an important time for charities to launch a planned giving programs to ensure their future financial security. Everything old is new again and planned giving - accelerated by the pandemic - is entering another 'Golden Era'. For more Planned Giving Podcasts and to sign up for our regular updates, please go to www.pggrowth.com