Your team is more capable than they think.
Richard helps development staff, boards, and conference audiences get comfortable with gift planning: the conversations, the concepts, and the confidence to ask.
Why do some teams avoid planned gift conversations?
It's not because they don't care about the mission. It's because the subject feels technical, the stakes feel high, and nobody wants to say the wrong thing to a donor who's thinking about their estate. So the conversations don't happen. The prospects age out of the pipeline. The program stays quiet.
Richard has spent 15 years in those conversations. He knows exactly where the discomfort comes from and how to move past it. His sessions give your team enough confidence to start the conversation and act with clarity.
What Richard offers
Staff Training
Half-day or full-day sessions for development teams focused on practical skills: how to identify planned giving prospects, how to open the conversation naturally, how to explain common gift types without the legal jargon, and how to work alongside a specialist when things get technical. Richard tailors every session to your organization's program and your team's specific gaps.
Board Retreats
Board members are often the best ambassadors for a planned giving program, and usually the least comfortable talking about it. Richard's board sessions make gift planning feel human and approachable for a non-development audience. Board members leave knowing what a planned gift is, why donors make them, and how to talk about it in a way that inspires others to do the same.
Workshops and Speaking
Richard speaks at conferences for nonprofit professionals, professional advisor groups, and planned giving councils. His sessions are practical, direct, and usually a little fun. Audiences leave with things they can use the following week.
Topics include: Getting Comfortable with Planned Gift Conversations; What Donors Actually Think About Legacy Giving; Simplifying Gift Planning for Small and Mid-Size Shops; How to Work Effectively with Donors' Professional Advisors.
“I had the privilege of working alongside Richard Letocha for more than 13 years and can confidently say he is one of the most knowledgeable and trusted professionals in the field of gift planning. Richard possesses a remarkable ability to navigate the most complex charitable planning strategies and translate them into clear, approachable guidance that donors and colleagues alike can readily understand.
What distinguishes Richard most, however, is his genuine passion for building relationships. He takes the time to truly understand each donor's values, goals, and philanthropic intent, ensuring that every gift is thoughtfully structured to achieve both the donor's objectives and the institution's mission. His integrity, expertise, and unwavering commitment to donors have earned him the trust and respect of colleagues, advisors, and philanthropists alike, making him an exceptional partner and leader in the field of planned giving.”
— Corie Hoffberger