In the previous article in this series we explored fundraising as a whole. This article focuses on one important aspect of fundraising: planned giving.
While planned giving is one part of charitable giving, it differs from annual donations, major gifts, and capital campaigns in important ways. Planned gifts are usually inspired less by an organization’s immediate needs and more by a donor’s values, legacy, and desire to support something meaningful beyond their lifetime. The conversations, timelines, and approaches are different enough that many organizations approach planned giving as its own area of fundraising.
Many people think planned giving is only for large universities, hospitals, or national charities. In reality, it can be just as meaningful for Buddhist communities of every size.
According to Giving USA 2025, approximately eight per cent of all charitable giving comes through bequests. Religious organizations also continue to receive the largest share of charitable donations. These numbers remind us that planned giving is not reserved for large institutions. It is a meaningful way people express their values and support the communities that have shaped their lives.
For many sanghas, the strongest planned giving prospects are not necessarily the wealthiest practitioners. More often, they are the people who have practiced the longest, feel a deep connection to the dharma, and want to help ensure that future generations will benefit from the teachings. Dedication and commitment are often better indicators than income or the size of someone’s annual donations.
For example, imagine a practitioner who has practiced with your sangha for thirty years. They may never have been the largest annual donor, but by including the community in their estate plans, they can make a lasting gift that supports practice for generations to come.
Why planned giving?
Most annual donations come from a person’s current income. A legacy gift is different. It allows practitioners to make a lasting gift through their estate while ensuring that the teachings and the community they cherish continue to flourish.
Thoughtful estate planning can also offer practical benefits to the donor. Depending on individual circumstances, charitable gifts may reduce income or estate taxes while allowing donors to provide for family members and other loved ones. In many cases, a planned gift enables someone to make a larger charitable contribution than they thought possible.
Most importantly, planned giving helps ensure that future generations who come seeking wisdom, compassion, and community will continue to find a thriving sangha waiting to welcome them.
Planned giving options
Many people know they should have a will or estate plan, yet fewer than half of adults in North America have completed one. That gap presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Buddhist communities. A successful planned giving program often begins not by asking for gifts, but by helping members understand the importance of estate planning and how a charitable gift can reflect their values.
Most planned gifts are surprisingly straightforward. Many donors simply include a charitable bequest in their will or trust. Even without a will, however, it is often possible to name a temple or sangha as the beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, or investment account. Not having a will doesn’t mean someone cannot support the dharma through a legacy gift.
Some ways to give through planned giving
There are many ways practitioners can leave a legacy gift. Some of the most common include:
• Make a bequest. Include your temple or sangha in your will or trust by leaving a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or whatever remains after other gifts have been distributed.
• Donate appreciated securities. Gifts of stock or other appreciated investments can provide significant tax advantages while allowing you to make a meaningful contribution.
• Name your temple as the beneficiary of a retirement account or pension. Because retirement assets are often heavily taxed when inherited by individuals, directing some or all of these assets to a charitable organization may benefit both your heirs and your Buddhist community.
• Name your sangha as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Existing policies that are no longer needed for their original purpose can become meaningful charitable gifts. Some donors also choose to purchase a new policy naming their temple as beneficiary, creating a larger future gift at a relatively modest annual cost.
As with any estate planning decision, donors should consult qualified legal and financial advisors to determine the approach that best fits their personal circumstances.
Managing a planned giving program
Getting started with planned giving doesn’t have to be complicated. As your program grows, thoughtful stewardship and good recordkeeping become increasingly important. Even a modest program benefits from maintaining accurate donor records, staying in touch with donors, and honoring the commitments they have made.
For very small communities, a simple spreadsheet may be sufficient. As a program grows, however, many sanghas find that donor management software makes it easier to track relationships, acknowledge gifts, manage communications, and maintain records over time.
There are many donor management software applications, also known as client relationship management (CRM) systems, specifically designed for nonprofit fundraising. They are typically offered as subscriptions with varying levels of sophistication. For most sanghas and temples, affordability and user-friendliness are top concerns. However, over-investing in a system that is more complex than needed could be a poor allocation of your community’s financial resources.
The goal is not to find the most sophisticated system available. Instead, choose a tool that matches your community’s size, budget, and volunteer capacity. A system that people actually use consistently is far more valuable than one with dozens of features that sit unused.
Key features determining price-point for subscription platforms include tools for donor management, fundraising, communications, payment processing, automated donation tax receipts, analytics, volunteer management, grant management, peer-to-peer, text-to-give, pop-up mods to your existing website, and memberships. Rather than focusing on specific products, think first about what your community truly needs, then choose a system that is simple, sustainable, and easy to use.
Building a culture of generosity
Legacy giving should not stand alone. It works best as part of a broader culture of generosity in which members are invited to support their community in ways that match their circumstances and stage of life. Annual giving, volunteer service, fundraising events, major gifts, and planned gifts all have an important role to play.
For many Buddhist communities, the most important first step is simply beginning the conversation. Let members know that planned giving is an option. Explain how legacy gifts can strengthen the sangha for future generations, and provide basic information about the different ways people can give. You don’t need a large staff or a sophisticated fundraising program to get started. You simply need a willingness to invite thoughtful conversations.
Over time, those conversations can become one of the most meaningful expressions of dana within your community. Planned gifts often come from practitioners whose lives have been deeply shaped by the dharma and who want others to have the same opportunity in the years ahead.
Like all generosity, legacy giving is rooted in relationships and trust. It is less about asking for money than helping people express the values that have guided their lives.
As Buddhist communities look toward the future, planned giving offers a practical way to ensure that temples, teachers, and practice communities continue to serve generations yet to come. It is one more way that today’s practitioners can help sustain the Dharma—not only for themselves, but for everyone who will one day walk through the temple doors in search of wisdom, compassion, and belonging.
* The articles in this series were supported by the generous help of Thomas Bruner. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for his efforts.
Related features from BDG
Buddhistdoor View: Reinforcing Dharma Work Through Generosity and Giving
How to Generate Limitless Generosity: Giving Is Never Unaffordable
On Relationships, Greed, and Generosity
A Time of Giving: A Christmas Meditation on Generosity for Buddhists
Generosity, Right Livelihood and Appreciation: Reflections on Buddhist lay life
