In this episode of the Mastering Fundraising, host Chris Looney sits down with Ray Watts, Interim Vice President for Advancement at California State University, San Bernardino, for a thoughtful and practical conversation on plannual giving.
Plannual giving is the intentional integration of annual giving and planned or asset-based giving. Ray challenges the traditional separation between these strategies and makes the case that loyalty, consistency, and generosity today are often the strongest indicators of legacy gifts tomorrow.
This conversation moves beyond technical planned giving mechanics and focuses on donor behavior, mindset, and relationships. Ray reframes planned giving as a celebration of asset-based philanthropy and shares real-world examples from his career in higher education advancement.
In this episode, you will learn:
• Why planned giving should be understood as asset-based philanthropy, not a technical specialty
• How annual giving behavior predicts future legacy giving
• Why most donor wealth is not held in cash and what that means for fundraising strategy
• The Three Circles of Philanthropy and how they help identify donor opportunity
• How loyalty, leadership, and legacy intersect in donor relationships
• Why planned gifts are often simpler than nonprofits assume
• How annual fund and planned giving teams can work together more effectively
• Practical ways to invite donors into conversations about perpetuity and long-term impact
This episode is ideal for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and board members who want to build sustainable philanthropy while honoring donors as whole people, not just transactions.
Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe to Mastering Fundraising, and check out our other podcasts, Lead for Good and The Nonprofit Edge, for more conversations on leadership, governance, and the future of the nonprofit sector.
