Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start

Kickstart your journey into planned giving with this foundational course designed for fundraisers. “Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start” covers everything you need to know to begin integrating planned giving into your fundraising program. Throughout the course, participants will explore the benefits to both organizations and donors, learn to blend major and planned gifts, and gain a solid understanding of planned giving basics. Key topics include gifts that help now and later, prospective donor identification, and effective communication strategies. The course also introduces marketing planned gifts, ethical considerations, and steps to get your planned giving program started, along with institutional readiness and action planning.

Certificates: Fund Raising Management , Planned Giving Management

Course Dates
Location	Dates	Cost	Register
Online (Asynchronous)	August 10, 2026 - September 20, 2026	$1,545.00	Register
Atlanta	August 17, 2026 - August 19, 2026	$1,495.00	Register
Indianapolis (NCAA)	October 21, 2026 - October 23, 2026	$1,495.00	Register
Virtual (Live)	November 05, 2026 - December 17, 2026	$1,495.00	Six Thursdays from 2p-5p ET Register
Austin	March 08, 2027 - March 10, 2027	$1,495.00	Registration opening soon
Online (Asynchronous)	March 15, 2027 - April 25, 2027	$1,545.00	Registration opening soon
Indianapolis (NCAA)	April 26, 2027 - April 28, 2027	$1,495.00	Registration opening soon.
New York City	May 17, 2027 - May 19, 2027	$1,495.00	Registration opening soon.

Course Details

Please review the attendance policy and cancellation/transfer policy before registering.

Schedule

The course is offered in the following three formats:

In-person

The in-person class is three days in length.

Day 1: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Day 2: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Day 3: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Online (Asynchronous) Schedule

The asynchronous online course is six weeks in length.

Each week you’ll have a course module to complete. Each module consists of:

readings from a PDF study guide
viewing a pre-recorded narrated presentation
completing a 10-question quiz where you must score a 7 or higher
engaging in forum discussions with others
and submitting assignments.

More details about the online format and requirements may be viewed here.

Virtual (Live) Schedule

The live, virtual class is held over six sessions from 2pm to 5pm Eastern and hosted using the Zoom platform. More details about the virtual format and requirements may be viewed here.

The November 5-December 17, 2026 virtual class will be held on the following dates:

Thursday, November 5, 2026
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Thursday, November 19, 2026
No session held during the week of Thanksgiving
Thursday, December 3, 2026
Thursday, December 10, 2026
Thursday, December 17, 2026

Location

The location next to each course date indicates if the course is being held in-person (e.g. city name) or online.

For in-person classes, please click on the city name for further details and recommended hotel accommodations.

Registrants for in-person, asynchronous online, and virtual dates will receive complete course logistical information upon registration.

CFRE Education Points

Full participation in many of The Fund Raising School’s courses fulfill education point requirements for Category 1.B-Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start qualifies for 20.25 CFRE Education Points/Hours.

IMPORTANT REGISTRATION NOTE: Tuition payment is due before the class begins and may be paid by credit card or check. All cancellations and transfers are subject to an administrative fee of $275.

The Fund Raising School and its faculty assume a baseline knowledge of the concepts and terminology from “Principles & Techniques of Fundraising” in teaching this course.