From the Nominator

"The 200 for 200 Legacy Challenge was McGill’s first-ever fundraising campaign dedicated to planned giving. Launched as part of McGill University’s bicentennial celebrations, its goal was to secure 200 planned gifts for McGill’s 200th anniversary.   

McGill dramatically increased the promotion of planned giving during the challenge. There was a mass digital launch, followed by targeted segmentation and one-on-one meetings. This challenge was the first time that all McGill fundraisers were expected to promote and close planned gifts. Some fundraisers had expressed a lack of confidence in discussing planned giving, so they were a key audience in our efforts to increase overall knowledge of planned giving and make the challenge a success. Our strategy was to document existing planned gifts, uncover previously unknown planned gifts, and find new prospects and secure new planned gifts.   

The challenge exceeded its participation target, securing 214 planned gifts from 206 donors, and counting over $25 million in planned giving intentions to McGill’s capital campaign. It also increased the average number of documented intentions from three per month to 10 per month--a marked increase that we believe will continue in the long term.  

As a result of this challenge, McGill’s fundraising staff now clearly demonstrates increased confidence and enthusiasm when discussing legacy giving with external audiences. We now have an established network of volunteers who will champion planned giving going forward. There is no doubt that the overwhelming success of the 200 for 200 Legacy Challenge will have long-term positive outcomes for McGill."

From the Judges

This campaign featured a great strategy and thus, great results. We were impressed that every fundraiser was trained to be a planned giving officer. Very effective use of volunteers. This campaign had ambitious goals and exceeded them with both creativity and originality. This campaign can easily be replicated at other institutions. We agree the overwhelming success of the 200 for 200 Legacy Challenge will have long-term positive outcomes for McGill going forward.