In a non-scientific survey of eight types of Planned Giving & Trust Services (PGTS) programs I found there is a variety of levels of confidentiality and cooperation that exists between PGTS and other methods of philanthropy in the North American Division (NAD). Some PGTS departments are kept completely separate, some have limited cooperation, and some are completely integrated with other fundraising functions of the organization. The question considered in this article is how should we practice confidentiality to best serve the donor?
Donor Centric Focus
The needs and desires of the donor should be first considerations of a planned giving officer. Seventh-day Adventist church members have many options when deciding to give gifts supporting the mission of the church during their lifetime. PGTS is one of those options and we want to cooperate as much as the donor allows with all other methods of giving so the donor is well served.
Perhaps the most consistent method of giving for a donor is in returning tithe and offerings to the local church. Annual gifts to various charities may also be a part of their giving life, as wells as a few larger gifts for specific projects the church or organization has promoted. The donors’ deferred planned gifts are still future gifts, but the documents are put in place during their lifetime. Typically, a donor sees all these methods of giving as a whole, and views them simply as support of the organization and not as an annual gift, major gift or planned gift. If donors are getting conflicting messages from different persons in your organization for each of these areas of giving, they may choose to give to an organization that is more integrated. Having cohesive communication and making the giving process easy for donors is the goal.
Organizations may have persons with specific expertise who deal with each area of the donors’ giving experience. Tithes and offerings are usually managed by a stewardship team, annual and major gifts fall under the development department, and planned gifts may be its own separate department. All these areas of giving should work harmoniously to raise money to support the mission of the church organization. The donor does not think of them separately but is seeking to support the one mission, so each of these departments should work together to help the donor.
Confidentiality
For the purposes of this article, I am using the terms confidentiality and privacy with similar intent. I am aware they each have different definitions and they are not the same. Webster’s Dictionary, when defining confidential, uses private as part of the definition.
In the context of PGTS there is a general expectation that when a donor shares confidential estate planning and financial information with an organization it will be kept secure and private. Only those who need to know (attorneys, select office personnel, auditors, etc.) would have access to this shared private personal information. The donors trust our organizations with this expectation that their personal information will be handled with care. Our NAD organizations need to be prepared to accommodate whatever level of confidentiality a donor requires. To be prepared each organization should determine what information should be shared to best serve the donor, what information should remain confidential, and what measures will be implemented to ensure all donor information is handled appropriately.
The confidentiality of donors’ private information is not required by NAD Working Policy or by NAD PGTS Standards, yet in order to build and maintain trusting relationships with donors, some level of confidentiality is expected. If confidentiality and privacy are expected by donors, then would it not be a good idea to have a privacy policy in writing to guide your organization and share with your donors? To have a document you can share that details what the privacy policy and practices of your organization are is a good plan.
I would suggest that every organization should have a privacy policy statement. Having this transparency with your donors is the best way to build trust in your organization. By writing a privacy policy your donors will know what they can expect from your organization. Those who work within your organization will also know what is expected of them to keep donor information private. Here are some privacy statements from the General Conference.
Development and Planned Giving & Trust Services
Development and PGTS raise funds to support the mission of the organization, so when these functions are kept separate and compete for donors’ gifts friction can develop between these very important functions of the church. As we have suggested above there is an implied expectation and a need to keep some of the donor’s confidential financial information private if PGTS is to be trusted.
In the past tension has existed between those solely working in development and those who work primarily in planned giving. This tension is partially due to the complete desire for confidentiality between planned giving and other departments within the organization. A wall was created in which no information was shared between the two departments. Since gift planners know about the assets of a donor when working with them on an estate plan it is understandable that this information be kept confidential. While at the same time, annual gift officers know the past consistency of the donor support of the organization. Is this complete separation what is best for the donor? Are there times when some information should be shared, such as addresses and phone numbers so the donor doesn’t have to contact multiple departments and give them the same information? What about basic call reports, maybe not the details of a call report but only the basic information that a gift officer talked to a donor on this date, so we are not wearing out our welcome by calling on the donor too much? How much information is appropriate to share within an organization, and with those professionals who help the organization provide the best possible service, such as attorneys, CPAs and auditors? When handled carefully the sharing of information within the organization and cooperation with others who are working in fundraising within the organization can benefit both the donor and the organization.
These confidentiality issues should be carefully thought through by every organization with the donor’s best interests in mind. A privacy policy should be created that clearly states how information will be stored, who will have access to it and under what circumstances it will be shared. Donors should be given a disclosure statement that informs them of the privacy policy and how any questions or concerns they have should be addressed. The organization must live up to its own policy, ensuring the donor’s information is not shared with anyone who is not authorized to see it. If, from time to time, a donor takes issue with some aspect of the privacy policy and does not want their information shared with a particular party then accommodations can be made, if feasible. However, if the privacy policy is well structured this should be a rare occurrence.
Cooperation
Development and PGTS departments may be separate at your organization, but they both work with donors to raise funds to support the mission of the organization. In this era of blended gifts, when current and deferred gifts are developed simultaneously, all methods are important to best serve the donor. All fundraisers assist members/donors to accomplish the stewardship responsibility God has impressed on their hearts. There is only one mission but there are many methods used to accomplish the funding that supports the one mission.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:19 & 20 NKJV
Is there a way for all fundraisers, whether their department is called Stewardship, Philanthropy, Development, Fundraising, or PGTS, to cooperate in the fundraising space? Is there a way for all of us who work for the church to work together, to benefit our donors and our church organizations, and in so doing help bring in more funds to support the mission? Today there are several organizations in the NAD that facilitate this type of cooperation between all areas of the organization’s philanthropy functions, where privacy is defined as sharing within the philanthropy team only.
These organizations endeavor to share some or all of the following:
Sharing
- Mission
- Fundraising goals
- Donors
- Contact information
- Donor visits
- Giving Records
- Projects
- Blended gifts
Below are some things they keep private:
Private
- Financial information
- Estate planning
- Family dynamics
- Medical Information
Conclusions
In all these listed areas of cooperation and communication, the donor is ultimately the one in control of their personal information because they choose what information to give us and what information to withhold. When the donor does choose to share information with us they should do so being informed of how their information will be handled, who will have access to it and why they will have access. Organizations need to think through how they can best serve their donors and what information should be shared among various departments to do so. If a donor wants to be anonymous or has a reasonable request to keep some information private the organization must put systems in place to accommodate the wishes of the donor. As with all policies, an attorney actively licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction of your organization should approve your privacy policy before it is made public. Every member of the philanthropy team must be trained to handle sensitive donor information with care. When our attention is centered on doing what is best for the donor we can then be assured our organization is in compliance.