Now or Later?
(Added 4/11/2010)
I work at a social services agency and went on a visit a few weeks ago with my boss to see an elderly donor who had been giving generously to our annual fund. He was also a planned giving prospect and indicated that he would be interested in establishing a very large life-income gift - a multi-million dollar remainder trusts. Even though there was no indication that he would then reduce or eliminate his annual support, my boss said to him that she would rather he continue with his annual giving and basically forego any planned giving commitment. (She knows nothing, it seems, about planned giving.) Not wanting a confrontation in the prospect's presence, I waited until we got back to tell my boss that she is a fool - that not only did the man not say he would no longer make annual gifts, a deferred commitment of that magnitude is exactly the kind of thing we need to secure our future. She retorted that not only was I out of line to criticize her, but that we might not have a future if we don't secure current gifts. I'm fuming - at her and at the lost opportunity. Would it be ethical to call the man and restart the life-income trust conversation without my boss's knowledge?
You told your boss that she's a fool? You may want to polish up your resume. While your boss may need to learn more about planned giving, you need to learn something about grace - a kissing cousin to ethics. You never should go behind your boss's back- for any reason. By doing that, you may destroy the one thing you want most: a planned gift. But because you want it most does not mean it is in the best interests of the organization. Your boss, and hers - at least as the organization chart is currently configured - are in a better place to make that decision. Forget about a clandestine communiqué with the prospect: you are, first and foremost, a representative of your organization. And you should undertake that role a lot more seriously than you are right now.
What you should do is make time, in a calm unhurried setting, for you and your boss to discuss planned giving. At that point you can tell her that studies show that those who support organizations on an annual basis don't typically stop that support once they have established a deferred gift. You can also tell her that creating a list of expectancies is also good for the organization's future - that the angst over the difference between long-term and short-term gains is a classic dilemma - one of the 'right vs. right' dilemmas in the canon of ethical decision-making. If you are mathematically able, you might want to show the present value of the deferred gift as compared with the present value of the annual gifts, all the while explaining that the one does not have to sacrifice the other. But while you impart that to her, you must also realize you are at the same time acknowledging the wisdom of her decision: significant current gifts, after all, are valuable and meaningful.
She's not the bad guy here. In fact, if one must be found, it's you. The real goal here, begun with that meeting with her, is to develop policies that outline your organization's commitment to planned giving within the overall development goals that you have. You should be at the table during that policy formulation. That's of course if you can refrain from calling anyone a fool.