Planned Gifts
A Planned Gift records a donor’s documented intention to make a future gift, typically through their estate. Common vehicles include bequests, charitable remainder trusts (CRTs), charitable gift annuities (CGAs), life insurance designations, IRA beneficiary designations, and other deferred giving arrangements.
Planned gifts are not transactions — they represent intent, not received revenue — but they are linked to a contact record and can be tracked through their full lifecycle from initial identification to receipt.
Accessing Planned Gifts
- From the sidebar: Transactions → Planned Gifts — opens the full list
- From a contact record: the Planned Gifts tab on the contact edit page
Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact | The donor who intends to make the gift |
| Gift Type | The giving vehicle (see Gift Types below) |
| Estimated Value | Expected face value of the gift (optional; may be unknown) |
| Description / Notes | Free-text detail about the arrangement |
| Status | Lifecycle stage (see Statuses below) |
| Year Identified | The year this planned gift was first documented |
| Confidential | If checked, this record is flagged as sensitive and may be excluded from standard reporting |
Gift Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Bequest | A gift specified in the donor’s will or living trust |
| Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) | A trust that pays income to the donor (or other beneficiaries) during their lifetime, with the remainder going to the organization |
| Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) | An agreement where the organization receives a gift and in return pays a fixed annuity to the donor |
| Life Insurance | The organization is named as beneficiary or owner of a life insurance policy |
| IRA / Retirement Account | The organization is named as beneficiary of an IRA or other retirement account |
| Other | Any planned giving arrangement not covered by the above types |
Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Identified | A potential planned gift has been noted but not yet confirmed by the donor |
| Confirmed | The donor has documented or communicated the intention directly |
| Received | The gift has been realized and a transaction recorded |
| Declined | The donor has indicated they will not proceed with the gift |
Working with Planned Gifts
Creating a Planned Gift
- Navigate to Transactions → Planned Gifts in the sidebar and click Create, or
- Open a contact record, go to the Planned Gifts tab, and click Create.
Fill in the contact, gift type, status, and any known details. Estimated Value and Year Identified can be filled in later as the relationship develops.
Confidential Records
When Confidential is checked, the record is flagged in the system. Use this for situations where the donor has asked that their planned gift not be widely known within the organization. Implement access controls through user roles to restrict who can view confidential planned gift records.
Linking to a Transaction
When a planned gift is ultimately received, record the incoming funds as a normal transaction (donation order item or purchase order) and note the planned gift reference in the transaction description or via a custom field. Update the planned gift status to Received.
Reporting
Planned gifts appear in the standard reporting system. Useful report filters:
- Status = Confirmed — your confirmed planned gift pipeline
- Confidential = false — exclude sensitive records from staff-wide reports
- Gift Type — break down by vehicle
Use Building Reports to create custom planned gift reports, including estimated value totals by status or gift type.