The largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in human history is underway. An estimated $124 trillion is expected to transfer to the next generation of donors by 2048. For nonprofits, this is not a distant trend — it is a window of opportunity that is open right now. At SFS Grants, Linda help organizations build the planned and major giving programs that position them to capture a share of that transfer before it flows to organizations that were better prepared.
The Generational Stakes
Linda walks every board through the generational math. The Silent Generation holds an estimated $20.8 trillion in assets and demonstrates strong loyalty and relationship-based giving. Baby Boomers hold approximately $88.5 trillion and remain central to annual and major gift activity. Generation X holds roughly $45.4 trillion and prioritizes efficiency, transparency, and measurable impact. Millennials hold an estimated $18.3 trillion and are guided by values, alignment, and authenticity.
Linda emphasizes that these are not interchangeable audiences. Each generation gives differently, expects different stewardship, and responds to different channels. A major giving program that speaks only to Boomers will miss the Gen X and millennial donors who are inheriting their wealth. A planned giving program that ignores the Silent Generation will miss the bequests that are available today.
Major Gifts: The Relationship Business
Major gifts are central to any pivot toward individual giving and reduced government reliance. Linda builds major giving programs around a disciplined, relationship-first model:
- 1Identification — use wealth screening and prospect research to find capacity and inclination.
- 2Qualification — confirm the prospect's alignment with the mission and capacity to give at a major level.
- 3Cultivation — build a genuine, multi-touch relationship over months, not a single ask.
- 4Solicitation — make a specific, face-to-face ask tied to a named opportunity.
- 5Stewardship — thank, recognize, and report back so the gift becomes the first of many.
Planned Giving: The Long Game
Linda reminds every client that planned giving — bequests, charitable gift annuities, beneficiary designations, and trusts — is the most underdeveloped revenue stream in the sector. Most nonprofits never ask their donors to include them in their estate plans, and so the gifts never materialize. A simple, consistent 'legacy society' program that invites donors to notify the organization of a planned gift can unlock transformational, endowment-building revenue at minimal cost.
Family offices distributing over $1 million annually rose from 23% to 36% over the past decade, and donor-advised funds now account for approximately $50 billion of foundation giving. These vehicles are where next-generation wealth is increasingly housed — and organizations that build relationships with DAF holders and family office advisors now will be positioned to receive from them for decades.
The wealth is transferring whether your organization is ready or not. The question is whether you have built the relationships and the vehicles to receive it. — Linda
The Stewardship That Makes It Stick
Linda stresses that major and planned giving live or die on stewardship. A retained donor increases lifetime value by up to 18%, and that multiplier is even larger for major and planned donors. Simple, meaningful touchpoints — a phone call, a handwritten note, a small gathering, a personalized update — are what convert a major gift into a planned gift and a planned gift into an endowment-building legacy.
Build Your Major & Planned Giving Program
If your organization has no formal major or planned giving program, the Great Wealth Transfer is passing you by. Linda offer planned and major giving, prospect research, and stewardship planning as part of SFS Grants' Fractional Services. Schedule a free consultation, and let us build the program that captures the next generation of transformational gifts.
Linda, SFS Grants
Founding Partners, SFS Grants
the SFS Grants team are the founding partners of SFS Grants, a nationwide professional firm specializing in 501(c)(3) formation, grant writing, and holistic fundraising for nonprofits. Since 2010, they have maintained a 100% success rate on nonprofit filings and helped organizations across all fifty states secure sustainable funding.
