We believe every donor wants to give more.

We contact and qualify your best bequest prospects – so you don’t have to.
Your fundraisers use our leads to have the right conversation, with the right donors, at the right time.

We talk to your best prospects – based on age and affinity.

Our Bequest Qualification Program uses proactive calling and your fulfillment material to identify donors who are making final estate planning decisions and considering bequests to their favorite organizations.

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We help you identify the donors who meet the age and affinity criteria for your organization and then call them to begin a meaningful conversation about their estate plans. And we give your fundraisers the information they need to follow-up with interested and motivated donors on a schedule that fits the time and resources available.

Our work enables your fundraisers to make the best use of their time, talent, and training. They will have productive follow-up calls with qualified donors who are ready to talk about their bequest considerations. This also positions your organization as a trusted resource to provide information and assistance as donors finalize their estate planning.

A time-efficient and cost-effective solution

There are 2,080 hours available in a 52-week year of Monday through Friday “work days.” But this is hardly the amount of time your fundraisers devote to directly speaking with donors. Many hours are consumed each week by required meetings, professional development, administrative tasks, and leave time.

But you can redeem that time.
While Steenhuysen Associates is contacting your potential bequest donors – to discover and provide qualified leads – your fundraisers can concentrate on what they do best – cultivate and close gifts.

Our calling program is time-efficient and cost-effective.
The goal of each conversation is to listen and build a stronger relationship with your donors. We capture valuable information about your donors’ interests, families, and charitable giving. Our discovery includes topics such as why your organization is important to them, what motivated their first gift, and if they would consider a bequest gift. With this information, your fundraisers are well-positioned for effective follow-up.

  • This is not telemarketing.
  • We do not use a predictive dialer.
  • The line-to-caller ratio is one-to-one, with no dead air, no abandoned calls, no pause when the donor answers.
  • Our Donor Relationship Managers do not ask for gifts – they explore intentions.
  • They never lead the discussion toward a pre-determined conclusion.
  • A conversation lasts as long as it lasts.

Connect with your best prospects – and secure the benefits

bequestsBequests are often among the largest gifts fundraisers can bring to your organization – and you secure multiple benefits when you can qualify and close the bequest intentions that your donors are considering as they finalize their estate plans. We qualify your best bequest prospects so you can connect with them to transform “I would consider” thoughts into “I will include” action.

  • Securing a bequest intention allows you to thank donors and continue cultivation – even if they prefer to remain anonymous for listing purposes.
  • Your thoughtful stewardship of bequest donors can lead to larger current gifts, increased bequest amounts, and protection against the risk of being removed from a donor’s will.
  • When bequest information and stories are effectively communicated to your wider donor population, it can positively motivate and inspire others to do the same.

The Steenhuysen Difference – What sets us apart

  • Our Gift Planning expertise – Steenhuysen Associates is led by a nationally recognized gift planning expert. Our donor-centric services are offered exclusively to charitable organizations and our calling programs are designed to meet each client’s objectives and needs.
  • Our listening skills – We know this work requires exceptional listening skills – not typical telemarketing talkingOur bequest qualification process requires a longer conversation – one that our Donor Relationship Managers (DRMs) start and your fundraisers finish. We recruit and train our DRMs in the listening skills that prompt meaningful conversations and actionable information.
  • Our experience with idea-based organizations – Most of our clients are idea-based organizations – rather than campus-based organizations. Organizations with a physical campus (i.e. schools, hospitals, performing arts centers, zoos, etc.) use fundraising techniques that rely on donor visits to a physical location. These donors enjoy an immediate experience that links them to the organization in a tangible, memorable way.

Charities without a physical campus are idea-based organizations – the organization’s work exists in the minds of donors – without the physical anchor to a specific location. The donors’ passion and support builds as they read about or otherwise experience the organization’s mission and work. We recognize and understand this vital difference and have extensive experience engaging donors of idea-based organizations.

About Us

Jay-Steenhuysen-For-Web-278x300Jay Steenhuysen is the principal and founder of Steenhuysen Associates and Gift Strategies. Widely recognized as a dynamic and inspiring consultant, coach, trainer, and gift planning expert, he has more than 35 years of experience advising national and international charitable organizations.

Jay has helped multiple organizations effectively refine and refocus their gift planning, major gifts, and marketing programs to meet the needs of donors at all wealth levels. His work in analyzing existing operations, gauging donor potential, and developing donor-centric strategies and tactics, is well-known and highly regarded by fundraisers in many diverse sectors.

Gift Strategies was founded to provide high-quality and high-capacity donor qualification through telephone conversations with our skilled Donor Relationship Managers. Our carefully trained callers help charities connect with their donors one-on-one and strengthen relationships – while capturing valuable information and qualifying donors for planned gifts.

Prior to establishing his own firm, Jay served as Managing Director of Philanthropy Services at myCFO, a financial services firm whose clients had an average net worth of $125 million. He worked with individuals, families, and business owners to identify and develop their philanthropic interests and find ways to express those interests through charitable giving. Jay also served as the Director of Planned Giving and Principal Gifts Officer at World Vision, an international relief and development organization, directing that organization’s Gift Planning Program and Capital Campaign.

Jay’s commitment to the fundraising profession includes service with the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (today’s National Association of Charitable Gift Planners), where he was Board Chair and also instrumental in developing the organization’s Leadership Institute. He holds a BA from Seattle Pacific University, an MA in theological studies from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Leila Zarlenga serves as the Operations and Project Manager and is responsible for the successful completion of campaign initiation, design, oversight and delivery; scheduling and administration of calling campaigns; and confidential handling of client data. She has an extensive background in sales, marketing and administration with a focus on serving client relationships and project direction. Leila brings more than 18 years of experience in managing complex solutions to the team. She’s a deft manager of every step in the projects she manages; capable of designing, planning, administering, and executing campaigns with skill and discretion.

Karen Steenhuysen is a Certified Public Accountant with career experience at a Big Five accounting firm. She is responsible for financial and compliance operations, including accounting, state registration, contract development and management, and invoicing. Karen’s financial background is complemented by an in-depth understanding of calling operations that she applies to reviewing and editing comment reports, and to quality control oversight of all calling programs.

Michaela Varone brings a global perspective to her responsibilities as the company’s liaison between charitable clients and their respective donor bases. A graduate of Penn State with dual degrees in International Communications and French, she served with the Peace Corps in Indonesia and has significant experience in fundraising and charitable gift planning, Michaela generates and delivers weekly client fundraising reports; cultivates and maintains the quality control process; refines and implements training for Donor Relationship Managers; and supports marketing and client communication projects.

Donor Relationship Managers

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Our Donor Relationship Managers (DRMs) are the mature, confident, and sensitive people who call and connect with your donors. These callers have worked with us, some up to 14 years, steadily building and perfecting their conversation and reporting skills.

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Our DRMs’ backgrounds include prior career employment in human resources, marketing, customer relations, and communications. They also have a wide range of community volunteerism encompassing the arts, literacy, fundraising, and disaster relief, as well as multiple avocations including human resources, candy making, home design, and Peace Corps service. They are educated, interesting, and well-rounded individuals who truly enjoy speaking with people throughout the country and skillfully draw them into meaningful conversations about their lives and charitable intentions.

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All of our DRMs receive extensive training and coaching to ensure the conversations they initiate with donors on your behalf are professional, sensitive, and a credit to your organization. Each DRM also has been trained to meet the all applicable federal and state regulations.

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