The gift-planning process is a journey, beginning with the early steps of cultivation, leading eventually to the destination of a completed gift and then continuing along the path of donor recognition. The trail to the completed gift can be steep and arduous, or it can be a gentle slope. Reaching the summit can take years or, in rare cases, a few moments.
Making the trip successfully requires careful planning, the right equipment, good conditioning and proper nourishment. The wise gift-planning trekker also packs some healthy "snacks" to munch along the way.
Along the Way in Planning Giving is a 128-page container of "trail snacks" for planned giving practitioners and others who assist in the gift-planning process. The anecdotes and "articlettes" provide insight, advice, humor, inspiration and practical information. These bite-sized literary morsels are "energy bars" to keep you going on the planned giving trail.
This book can be used to educate newcomers to the planned giving field and as a means to refresh veteran trekkers. It can also benefit support staff, committee and board members, key volunteers, donors and their advisors. It can even be an excellent answer to the person sitting next to you on the airplane who asks the follow-up question, "Planned giving? Hmmm. Just what does a planned giving officer do?"
