March 5, 2026, Mission Advancement sectional during the WELS Association of Lutheran High Schools conference, Sheraton, Brookfield, Wis.

Bryan K. Clontz, Ph.D., CFP® led a Mission Advancement sectional during the WELS Association of Lutheran High Schools conference. Dr. Clontz is a nationally recognized planned giving strategist and founder of Charitable Solutions LLC. For more than 20 years, he has helped Christian leaders build effective planned giving and endowment programs with limited time and resources. He is widely known for practical, step-by-step approaches that make planned giving approachable, sustainable, and effective.

The presentation slides from both sessions are available below for those who attended the sectional, as well as for development leaders who were unable to participate.

Sectional presentation information:

• Bible Study: Rev. Charles Vannieuwenhoven, Ministerial Education Administrator (9:30-10:00 a.m.):
• Session 1: Planned Giving with a Shoe-String Staff and a Shoe-String Budget (10:00-12:00 p.m.):
  Learn how to create or enhance a robust planned giving program with no money and in just 2-3 hours per month. Bryan will explain planned giving in simple terms, describe what really motivates donors to give, how to prospect and have the conversations while literally providing a step-by-step action plan for when you get back to the office. Over the last 20 years, more than 3,000 attendees have enjoyed and benefited from this talk, and nearly everyone says, “I never thought it could be this easy and for absolutely no money!”

• Session 2: Planned Giving with a Shoe-String Staff and a Shoe-String Budget, Part 2 Endowment Building on Steroids: Follow the Recipe (1:15-3:45 p.m.):
  This highly interactive session will not focus on the reason to have an endowment, but instead on the design and implementation of a plan to grow your endowment. We will discuss best practices of board engagement, prospecting, marketing, cultivating donors, having the conversation, gift documentation, and recognition. The session will be very practical and offer specific how-to suggestions that attendees can follow-almost like an endowment building recipe!

Additional Resources
The following resources were shared with development leaders following the session:

• Article featuring research from Russell James III
  Does Your Job Title Scare Off Your Donors?
  https://philanthropydaily.com/does-your-job-title-scare-off-your-donors/

• Encourage Generosity – Dr. Russell James Resource Website
  A collection of research, articles, and videos focused on charitable planning, donor behavior, and effective planned giving communication.
  https://www.encouragegenerosity.com/

Questions?
Contact WELS Foundation at [email protected].

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• March 9, 2026 Last Updated