The Impact Issue #84: Planned Giving Without The Awkwardness + Fresh 2026 Strategies.

Hello! Welcome to The Impact.

This week’s issue is all about setting your nonprofit up for long-term wins. From making legacy giving feel like an empowering choice (not a funeral plan), to Julie Starr’s blueprint for hitting $1M in private grants, we’re diving into strategies you can act on right now.

Plus, we’ve got new grants, fresh data from a new 2025 report, and a lineup of professional development resources to keep your skills fresh heading into the new year.

Let’s dive in!

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💥 Don’t Miss Out on the Next Generation of Intelligent Grant Tools 💥

On November 5th, we’re launching three new features designed to help you diversify your revenue, manage more awards, and streamline your entire grant workflow in one powerful platform—and you’re invited!

You’ll get to experience the new tools in action and hear from Instrumentl’s co-founders, Gauri Manglik and Angela Braren, on the future of grantseeking and what the next wave of AI innovation means for you as a grant professional.

👉 RSVP to save your seat!

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Pitfalls and Pointers

⚠️ Pitfall: Making Legacy Giving Feel Like a Funeral Plan

Too often, legacy or planned giving conversations are delayed—or avoided altogether—because fundraisers fear coming across as morbid or overly focused on death. This hesitation can lead to missed opportunities, especially with supporters who are deeply committed but may never consider including your organization in their will without a gentle reminder.

Avoiding the topic altogether means:

• You’re leaving long-term funding potential on the table.
• Donors miss out on a powerful way to align their values with their legacy.
• Your nonprofit lacks a sustainable pipeline of planned gifts to support future work.

💡 Pointer: Reframe Legacy Giving as a Hopeful, Impactful Choice

Instead of centering the conversation around death, invite your supporters to think about legacy giving as a celebration of life and the impact they can have long after they’re gone.

To normalize and energize planned giving, David Wheeler suggests:

• Use affirming language like “legacy challenge” instead of “estate planning.”
• Share stories of impact by highlighting donors who have left a lasting legacy, and the positive impact that continues because of it.
• Include legacy giving in everyday communications by treating it as a standard giving option, not a sensitive side topic.
• Host inclusive campaigns that gamify the experience, such as legacy “pledge weeks,” where participation—more than the size of the gift—is the goal.

Bottom line: When legacy giving is presented with warmth and optimism, it becomes a powerful invitation—not a grim obligation.

Want more tips?

👀 Check out this comprehensive guide to legacy giving!

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Tech You Should Know

What:

FreeWill for Nonprofits is a free planned giving platform that helps nonprofits receive non-cash gifts, including bequests, stock donations, and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), by making the process easier and more accessible for donors.

Unlike traditional planned giving strategies that can feel intimidating or require costly legal assistance, FreeWill gives donors simple tools to create wills or initiate non-cash gifts in minutes.

How Grant Writers Can Use It:

• Educate donors: Use FreeWill’s ready-made templates and campaigns to introduce bequests and stock giving as powerful ways to support your mission.
• Simplify the back end: FreeWill handles the legal logistics, while you focus on stewarding relationships and building donor trust.
• Inspire confidence: Show funders that you’re investing in long-term revenue strategies, especially when applying for sustainability-focused grants.

Keep in Mind:

• It’s not a substitute for stewardship: FreeWill provides the tools, but your team still needs to nurture donor relationships and communicate impact.
• It works best when promoted: Integrate FreeWill into your donor journey - include it in newsletters, year-end campaigns, and your website.

⭐ Explore FreeWill’s nonprofit tools!

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Expert Perspectives

🏆 Julie Starr on Reaching $1M in Private Grants

Julie Starr, founder of Write Epic Grants, has helped small and mid-sized nonprofits grow from $0 to over $1 million in private funding. In her recent Instrumentl MasterClass, she didn’t sugarcoat the process—but she did offer a blueprint that’s both honest and hopeful.

And since nearly 1 in 3 nonprofits are experiencing delays, pauses, or reductions in federal grant funding, this means the competition for private grants is more intense than ever. If your nonprofit isn’t ready with a clear, compelling strategy, you might just get left behind.

Here’s Julie’s expert advice:

• Make sure you are truly grant-ready: If your board isn’t engaged and your programs aren’t measurable, fix that first. Without a solid foundation, even the best-written proposal will likely fail to impress.
• Vet like your funding depends on it - because it does. Start broadly (think 300+ leads), then manually refine based on 990s, past giving trends, and alignment.
• Build your calendar around your bandwidth: Map deadlines to organizational goals and your own capacity. This helps avoid burnout and improves win rates.
• Stay in touch after the win: The relationship starts after the check clears. Share updates, invite funders to events, and reference your impact when reapplying for funding.

Because success isn’t about applying to everything; it’s about aligning your strategy, readiness, and relationships.

📽️ Watch the full MasterClass here → How to Secure $1 Million in Private Grants!

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The Latest Numbers

The 2025 Philanthropic Landscape report, published by CCS Fundraising, just dropped—and it’s packed with insights that can help you navigate where funding is flowing and what’s shifting.

• Overall giving declined by 2.1% in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of decrease.
• Foundation giving reached a record $106 billion, up 1.6%, highlighting the ongoing importance of cultivating institutional funders.
• Individual giving remains the largest piece of the pie, totaling $374 billion, though it declined slightly by 2.4%. Still, individuals made up 67% of all giving in 2024.
• Online giving increased to nearly 14% of total giving—a new high.

So, what does this mean for you?

• Prioritize foundations: With foundation giving on the rise despite a general decline, institutional funders remain a critical growth area.
• Sharpen your digital game: More than 1 in 8 dollars now comes through digital fundraising channels. If your online giving platform is clunky or confusing, it’s time for a refresh.
• Tell stronger stories to individuals: While individual giving has softened, it’s still your biggest funding source. Clear, emotional storytelling, along with easy online action steps, can keep you competitive.

Want the full breakdown?

‍📑 Dive into the full report for more insights!

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Opportunities Spotlight

✨ OneCause Corporate Grant Program

Who It’s For: US-based nonprofits focused on education, healthcare, social services, civic and cultural efforts, or the environment

Next Deadline: March 1, 2026

Grant Amount: Typically $5,000 - $25,000

The Details:

• Supports programs in education, healthcare, human services, civic/cultural initiatives, and environmental efforts
• One proposal accepted per organization per year
• Preference given to organizations with strong fiscal management and clear, measurable outcomes
• Applications must be submitted online via the foundation’s portal

👉 Apply Here!

📱 Verizon Foundation Grants

Who It’s For: US nonprofits aligned with digital inclusion, climate protection, or human prosperity

Next Deadline: Rolling, but project submissions for 2025 must be submitted by December 31, 2025

Grant Amount: Varies by project scope

The Details:

• Funds programs that advance digital equity, climate justice, and economic empowerment
• Prioritizes initiatives serving underserved or historically marginalized communities
• Open to 501(c)(3) organizations in the US with projects aligning to Verizon’s social impact pillars
• Applications accepted year-round, but early submission is encouraged due to annual budget limits

👉 Apply Here!

🔍 Explore thousands of other grant opportunities now!

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Networking Nook

💻 Webinar: Start Your 2026 Grant Strategy Off Right!

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET

Kick off 2026 with a grant strategy that sets you up for success. This free CharityHowTo webinar will walk you through how to prioritize funders, organize deadlines, and build a realistic plan that aligns with your organization’s capacity. You’ll leave with actionable steps to jumpstart your new year’s grant calendar.

Hurry - you don’t want to miss this!

✅ Register Now!

📅 Conference: Nonprofit Leadership Conference‍

November 12, 2025 | Kenosha, WI

Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Center for Community Partnerships, this year’s Nonprofit Leadership Conference centers on “Impact Through Innovation: Tools and Strategies to Help Realize Your Mission.” Attendees will explore how to adapt to change, leverage new technologies, and scale impact while connecting with nonprofit peers and thought leaders.

Registration is open now - secure your spot!

✅ Register Now!

To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.

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In Case You Missed It

📑 Article: 7 Unexpected Ways Nonprofits Can Use AI to Win More Grants

This article takes you beyond the basics, showing how AI can help not only with drafting proposals but also uncovering new funders, visualizing data, and speeding up workflows. You’ll walk away with fresh ideas for integrating AI tools into your grant work without losing mission focus.

👉 Get the Full Story!

📼 Video: Post-Award Grant Management Workshop

This 90-minute Instrumentl workshop helps grant seekers and managers strengthen their post-award success. You’ll learn how to build repeatable kickoff processes for new grants, maintain transparent financial systems and tracking, and foster a strong grant culture while managing large teams. Don’t miss the expert panel discussion at the end - packed with real-world strategies from experienced grant managers.

👉 Watch the Master Class!

🎙️ Podcast: Reframing Grant Rejection

Getting a “no” is part of every grant writer’s journey - but it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. In this episode of Grant Writing & Funding, host Holly Rustick explores how to reframe rejection as an opportunity to build stronger funder relationships, improve your proposals, and ultimately increase your win rate. It’s a mindset shift every grant professional needs.

👉 Listen to the Episode!

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Work Smarter, Win Bigger

You don’t have hours to waste chasing dead-end grants.

With Instrumentl, you can discover the right funders, keep every deadline in check, and manage reports all in one place. It’s everything you need to grow funding, minus the chaos. Start your 14-day free trial today - no credit card, no strings attached.

🚀 Start your free 14-day trial today!

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