Bench Mark project
The purpose of the Benchmark Interview Project is multi-faceted. First, you will demonstrate your ability to conduct internet research and identify an organization with a thriving planned giving program. In addition, you will prepare for an informational interview with an established planned giving officer/professional. This connection will be very valuable as you design a planned giving program for the Capstone Applied Project. You will be able to gain insights on what elements make a planned giving programs successful, the stakeholders, real world examples, donors and potential career insights.
The Benchmark Interview Project is divided into four parts over the first three weeks of this course. (Note: concurrently, you will also be working on the Capstone Applied Project).
Part 1: (Module 1) Research a nonprofit organization with a mature planned, legacy or estate giving program. Research an organization which has thriving planned giving program. Identify the staff member (typically the planned gift officer) responsible for actively soliciting planned gifts. Large, established nonprofits, churches, universities, and hospitals are very likely to have dedicated planned giving professionals. The planned giving officer from the university that you graduated from is usually very willing to talk to alumni. Then submit the name of the staff member, position title, organization and organization website for instructor’s approval
Instructions for Part 1:
• Complete internet research on a nonprofit with a successful, mature and thriving planned giving program. See here for characteristics of mature giving programs.
• Identify the name of the planned giving professional, position title, organization and organization website. Write two sentences on why you selected this organization and your connection to it or its mission.
• Post to the discussion board. You do not need to respond to peers. However, you may be interested to see which organizations they select and view the corresponding websites to familiarize yourself with common elements of thriving planned giving programs.
Part 2: (Module 2) Contact the planned gift officer and schedule a phone or video conference (ex: Skype/Zoom) interview. You will submit day/time of the interview and the ten questions you prepared to facilitate your discussion about a career as a Planned Giving Officer.
The purpose of Part 2 of the Benchmark Interview is to use professional discourse to set up an informational interview and prepare for the interview by crafting 10 questions you would like the planned giving officer to answer. You may want to include specific or general questions about the person’s background, the organizations planned giving program and the person’s opinion what the essential elements are in designing a planned giving program. This interview is your opportunity to get an insider’s advice before creating a planned giving program for the Capstone Applied Project.
Instructions:
As you schedule and prepare for the interview with a planned giving officer, consider what you might want to know if you were designing a planned giving program for a nonprofit. This is your opportunity to get advice from an industry insider.
Schedule the informational interview with the planned giving officer you identified in Module 1. Confirm a date, time and method (phone or video conference for the interview). Write 10 questions that you plan to use to guide the informational interview. Allow the conversation to flow too. Please indicate what day and time you will be conducting your interview, with whom, and where they work.
