Past Webinars

Watch below some our past free webinars. They cover many aspects of planned giving such as gift annuity basics, charitable beneficiary designations, blended gifts, bequest campaigns and much more.

	WEBINAR SPOTLIGHT PPGC MARKETING CURRENT GIFTS Build Your Legacy Society with GiftLegacy Learn how GiftLegacy has helped charities across the country revive their planned giving program and achieve their fundraising goals. February 8, 2024 Digital, Online & Social Media for Fundraising Success With Ken Miller Denali Fundraising Consultants Maximizing Major and Planned Gifts With Kristin Champa and Michelle Janssen Ethical and Effective Use of AI in Charitable Giving With Sarah Pinto AI Path to Donors With Russ Shumaker and Elaine Yamasaki AI Creative Content With Julia Campbell Creating Pipeline Reports: A Tale of Two Tallies With Rebecca Rothey Leveraging DAF's for Planned Giving Success With Lisa Barr Vice President, Development, West, National Philanthropic Trust Mid-Level Donor Today; Legacy Donor Tomorrow With Judi Smith President, GivingSMITH Real Life Case Studies of Complex Deferred Gifts With Kathy Saigeon and Wayne Lynch W.I.S.E. Giving: Uncovering Your Donor's Why, How, and How Much With Chris Gabriel Founder & President, WISEgenerosity How QCDs Inspire Mid-Level Donors to Give More With Scott Harkey Senior Director of Development and Planned Giving, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania From Zero to Planned Giving in 18 Months With Sarah Swanson Executive Director, Friends of the National Center Planned Giving in 75 Minutes or Less With Byron K. Rupp Executive Director of Gift Planning, Rice University Fundraising Playbook With Jill Rode Director of Legacy Giving, Music Academy of the West and Andy Ragone CEO, Pleiades Nonprofit Advisors Leading with Legacy Blended Asks With Marcy Heim CEO, The Artful Asker and Niki Chopra Richardson Executive Director, TOArts Proven Words that Work With Wayne Olsen President, Winter Haven Hospital Foundation Elevate Gift Officers to Amplify Impact With Jessica Hermann-Wilmarth VP for Development, Grand Rapids Community Foundation and Jennifer Yelovina Interm Assistant VP for Development, Western Michigan University Leverage Meta's Audience Targeting to Reach Planned Giving Prospects With Chris Anthony Identifying Donor Personas to Simplify Messaging & Communication With Elyse Kauffman Charitable Consultant, Everence Foundation Warming Up the Cold Call: Tips & Tricks for Deeper Conversations With Kelsey Picken Senior Director of Legacy Giving, The Dallas Foundation What Happens After the Great Wealth Transfer? With Nicola Lawrence AVP, Philanthropic Advising, Phoenix Children's Blended Giving - This Changes Everything With Darren Penny Executive Vice President, Thompson & Associates Ultimate Prompts for Cresi AI With Charles Schultz President, Crescendo Interactive and Elaine Yamasaki Communications and Media Specialist, Christian Foundation of America When Gifts and Ethics Codes Collide With Kimberly Jetton President, Pleiades Nonprofit Advisors Transferring Your Values Through Transferrable Valuables With Jeremy Pharr Executive Vice President, Thompson & Associates Going Beyond ChatGPT: Other AI Tools for Development With Gabriel Trieger Executive Director of Development, The Christ Hospital Health Network Raise More Gifts Through Planned Giving With Hal J. Abrams Strategic Partnership of Blended Gifts With Erin Jones Director of Planned Giving & Major Gifts, USD and Sandy Liarakos Vice President, Philanthropy, Sanford Burnham Presbys Medical Discovery Institute The Art of Listening: Hearing the Messages Your Donors Want You to Know With Wayne Olson Chief Development Officer, The Washington Times Five Ways to Build Relationships with Your Mid-Level Donors With Tim Logan Senior Legacy Director, Mal Warwick Donordigital Understanding Your Legacy Donors to Create Connections With Kelsey Picken Director, Legacy & Gift Planning, Children's Medical Center Foundation Creating a Planned Giving Matching Challenge With Maya Weil Gift Planning Specialist, Arena Stage and Ryan Merkel Principal Gifts Officer, National Gallery of Art Legacy Lift: Establish, Grow, or Re-ignite Gift Planning With Jeff Grandy Vice President of Client Development, Catapult Fundraising Creating "Outside the Box" Real Estate Gifts With Troy Wada CEO, INPAC Wealth Three Smart Gifts Your Donors Need to Know About With Ann E. Kolakowski Director of Gift Planning Services, University System of Maryland Promoting Planned Giving for Campaign Success With Kristin Perks Champa Vice President for Advancement, Christian Theological Seminary and Melanie J. Norton CEO, Norton Philanthropic Counsel Rethinking Planned Giving With Elizabeth Mobley Associate Director of Planned Giving, Furman University Marketing to Faith-Based Donors With Dale DeMarchi VP for Marketing, Orchard Alliance Marketing for Asset Gifts With Andy Ragone CEO, Partner and Co-Founder, Pleiades Nonprofit Advisors and Jill Rode Director of Legacy Giving, Music Academy of the West The Power of Mentorship With Christine Pulkrabek Senior Gift Planning Officer, Regions Hospital Foundation and Shelly Rucks Gift Officer, Regions Hospital Foundation The RIFT Project: Eliminating Delays When Requesting IRA and Other Death Claims With Johni Hays Executive Vice President, Thompson & Associates Matching the Ask to the Motivation With Matt Connell Principal Instructor, Blackbaud University Discerning Donor Motives With Marc Littlecott Advancement Director for Estate & Planned Giving, University of Mississippi High Propensity Donors With Eddie Thompson Founder and CEO, Thompson and Associates How to Raise Noncash Assets With Jackie W. Franey Founder, JW Franey Consulting, LLC Connecting with Donors With Jennifer Lehman Program Director, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy Capturing 7-Figure Planned Gifts With Arzie Stephens Senior Director of Gift Planning, Stetson University Interview with eMarketer of the Year With Hope Kaiser Development Director, University of Miami How the Secure Acts Impact IRA Giving With Jamie Holzer White Vice President of Legal Services, Crescendo Interactive, Inc. and Kristine Anderson Staff Attorney, Crescendo Interactive, Inc. How to Talk About Wealth With Russell James MChaired Professor, Texas Tech University Add 1 Million to Your Major Gifts With Dr. Viv Ewing Executive Leader, Speaker, and Motivator Every Donor Has a Story With Jon Rich Managing Partner, J&J Rich GP MegaGifts for Major Gift Officers How can a Major Gifts Officer increase DAF, IRA, stock and land gifts? The solution is a combination of great marketing, excellent donor engagement and winsome personal visits. Your GiftLegacy marketing system increases your "Visibility and Effectiveness" to raise millions in Megagifts! June 10, 2026 CresSurvey Learn how to use CresSurvey to gather information, discover why donors support your organization and to encourage them to make and report gifts. May 27, 2026 Market Major & DAF Gifts Learn how to use CresPro software to create persuasive major and DAF proposals for cash, appreciated property and blended gifts. May 27, 2026 AI Creative Writer Brochures, social media posts, inserts, articles, donor letters - you need a creative writer. Engaging and informative writing helps you motivate donors and close major gifts. Cresi AI will connect with over 500 CresPrint items. Charles and Gabriel will show how Cresi empowers you to be a dazzling and dynamic creative writer! May 13, 2026 Cresi AI eNewsletter Use Cresi AI to create personalized, engaging eNewsletters that connect with donors and inspire gifts. May 5, 2026 Bequest Campaign Strategies Explore strategic ways to market for bequests by looking at best practices and case studies. April 15, 2026 Bright Prospects for Gift Annuities Discover how nonprofits can increase annual fund giving and bequests. April 15, 2026 Exploring the GiftLegacy Marketing System and How it Can Increase Gifts GiftLegacy is Crescendo's major and planned giving marketing platform. Learn about proven strategies that will take your program to new heights. March 24, 2026 Build Your Advisory Council Strengthen your gift planning program with an engaged advisory council that drives growth and impact. March 24, 2026 Market Major and DAF Gifts Learn how to use CresPro software to create persuasive major and DAF proposals for cash, appreciated property and blended gifts. March 11, 2026 Cash Gift Proposals $20K to $5M Create motivating cash gift proposals. Reach the hearts of your donors with pictures and your gift case. March 11, 2026 Cresi AI Master Gift Case Create motivational, one-page gift cases with Cresi AI to inspire donors and secure major gifts. February 25, 2026 Steps to Conducting a Wills Seminar Increase your bequest intentions by providing service to your donors with a Wills Seminar. February 4, 2026 One-Person Marketing in Two Hours Per Week Run a thriving gift planning program in just two hours a week with the GiftLegacy platform. February 4, 2026 IRA and DAF Marketing Increase giving by engaging IRA and donor advised fund donors with targeted, tax-smart marketing strategies. January 7, 2026 CresLeader The CresLeader program enables you to set staff marketing functions, customize the donor proposals, create powerful donor templates and manage staff accounts. January 6, 2026 Major Gift Officer Support What are the challenges and solutions for a single major gifts officer (MGO) office? For a CresLeader with two to six MGOs? For a CresLeader with seven to fifty MGOs? Crescendo products and staff services help you raise $5 million to $200 million per year. December 10, 2025 Actionable Marketing Strategies for the Gift Planner Discover strategic insights and practical expertise from Crescendo's latest planned giving study. Understand proven marketing techniques, segmentation, personalized messaging, and donor behavior analysis to maximize your nonprofit's impact. December 9, 2025 Cresi AI Creative Messaging for Community Foundations Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Community Foundations. December 9, 2025 Gift Case Learn how to select your GiftCase template, add winsome pictures, edit titles and write great motivational text. October 14, 2025 Cresi AI Creative Messaging for Religious Organizations Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Religious Organizations. October 8, 2025 Enhancing Your Stewardship with Legacy Societies Learn how GiftLegacy has helped charities across the country revive their planned giving program and achieve their fundraising goals. September 9, 2025 Cresi AI Creative Messaging for Social Service Organizations Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Social Service Organizations. July 30, 2025 Cresi AI Creative Messaging for Medical Centers Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Medical Centers. July 1, 2025 How to Incorporate Social Media into your Planned Gifts Marketing Learn the best strategies to grow your social community, increase responses and generate more leads. June 25, 2025 Marketing to Donors Through Donor Stories Increase loyal donors and bring in more gifts by exploring the importance of custom donor stories that inspire your community. June 25, 2025 CresSurvey Learn how to use CresSurvey to gather information, discover why donors support your organization and to encourage them to make and report gifts. May 28, 2025 Cresi AI Creative Messaging for Colleges and Universities Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Colleges and Universities. May 6, 2025 Using Donor Surveys for Marketing and Follow-Up Explore the value of Donor surveys and how they can be used in different ways. April 2, 2025 Marketing to Your Gift Planning Trifecta Which types of gifts are wisest to promote as your top three with your donors? How do you highlight these trifecta gifts to boost best donor participation? March 25, 2025 Cresi AI & Creative Messaging for Community Foundations Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Community Foundations. February 26, 2025 Cresi AI & Creative Messaging for Religious Organizations Cresi AI creates messaging that is powerful in motivating your donors to make major gifts. Cresi builds a unique prompt to customize CresPrint materials and make you a towering force in marketing for Religious Organizations. January 14, 2025 Brand Messaging for Community Foundations Effective brand messaging will greatly increase your donor response rate. In this presentation we will cover some of the basics of branding for Community Foundations. December 11, 2024 Motivating Religious Donors Effective brand messaging will greatly increase your donor response rate. In this presentation we will cover some of the basics of branding for Religious Organizations. October 2, 2024 Philosophy to Philanthropy Gift Planning can begin with inspiration, move to motivation, create impact and result in transformation. How do you begin and transition your donors to become your champions? September 11, 2024 Motivate Social Service Donors Effective brand messaging will greatly increase your donor response rate. In this presentation we will cover some of the basics of branding for Social Service Organizations. July 31, 2024 Motivate Medical Center Donors Effective brand messaging will greatly increase your donor response rate. In this presentation we will cover some of the basics of branding for Medical Centers. June 12, 2024 GiftLegacy Success Story: How GiftLegacy Can Increase Donor Revenue GiftLegacy is Crescendo's major and planned giving marketing platform. Learn about proven strategies that will take your program to new heights. May 1, 2024 Brand Messaging for Colleges and Universities Effective brand messaging will greatly increase your donor response rate. In this presentation we will cover some of the basics of branding for Colleges and Universities. April 18, 2024 Build Your Legacy Society with GiftLegacy Learn how GiftLegacy has helped charities across the country revive their planned giving program and achieve their fundraising goals. February 8, 2024 Brand Messaging for Religious Organizations Effective brand messaging will greatly increase your response rate for both print and electronic media. In this presentation we will cover some of the basics of branding for Religious Organizations. January 9, 2024 Turbocharge your Current Gifts Crescendo's President, Charles Schultz, will share the 2023 GiftLegacy Innovations. We are excited to highlight the DAF and IRA widgets, the QR codes for literature and the Master Gift Case for major gifts. These three innovations will turbocharge your CURRENT GIFTS in 2024! October 16, 2023 Social Media for Planned Gifts Learn the best strategies to grow your social community, increase responses and generate more leads. June 06, 2023 Breakthrough Messaging: Five Crescendo Tools to Maximize Lead Generation Review best practices for marketing and how to optimize the tools included in GiftLegacy Pro to identify worthwhile leads. March 23, 2023 Best Practices for Legacy Communities Learn the insights from our panel guests who share how their giving communities have been designed to move their mildly interested prospects to becoming fully devoted supporters of their causes. November 16, 2022 - 11:00 am PST Marketing in Five Steps In this session, we will share how to market the various ways of giving to the most appropriate audiences. You will have five clear steps to employ what is necessary to be successful with your comprehensive marketing efforts. April 5, 2022 - 12:30 pm PDT Raise More Current Gifts Increase your annual fund and major gifts through IRAs, DAFs, stock gifts and surveys. November 25, 2025