From surprise bequests to $7.6M in primary bequest commitments: How Remote Area Medical built a proactive planned giving strategy

The Opportunity

Founded in 1985, Remote Area Medical® (RAM) provides free dental, medical, and vision care to people across the country who lack access to healthcare. The organization recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and treated its 1 millionth patient in 2025, with clinics held in more than 40 states.

As RAM’s reach and fundraising operation grew, the team saw an opportunity to build a more structured approach to planned giving. Before partnering with FreeWill, RAM had no formal planned giving program, limited experience communicating about estate planning, and little visibility into donors who might be interested in leaving a legacy gift.

Instead, bequests often came as a surprise. The organization might only learn that someone had included RAM in their estate plans after that donor had passed away and the gift arrived.

“We weren’t at all comfortable before working with FreeWill about how we communicate that. How do we ask people, you know, to include RAM in their estate plans?” shared Angie, RAM’s Planned Giving Specialist. “It was something that was out there, but again, it was just happenstance.”

It’s a critical part of our overall fundraising program. It’s part of all of our fundraising.

Angie
Planned Giving Specialist

RAM first discovered FreeWill through Co-CEO Patrick Schmitt’s free educational webinars and quickly saw an opportunity to build a planned giving program from the ground up. In 2021, the organization launched its partnership with FreeWill, giving the development team access to planned giving tools, campaign resources, and a dedicated strategist to help shape its approach.

The Solution

FreeWill helped RAM turn planned giving from an occasional, reactive effort into a structured part of its fundraising strategy. Over five years of partnering with FreeWill, RAM has generated $7.6 million in primary bequests, demonstrating the impact of building a proactive approach to legacy giving. With campaign resources and support from a dedicated strategist, the team developed a consistent approach to talking with donors about estate planning and legacy giving.

The partnership also expanded RAM’s approach to non-cash giving. Stock, DAFs, and QCDs became part of the organization’s regular donor communications, while FreeWill’s tools made it easier for donors to understand how to give and for RAM’s team to guide them through the process.

That preparation proved especially valuable when RAM was featured on 60 Minutes in April 2026, bringing an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 new donors into its audience. With FreeWill-powered giving tools already in place, including the embedded non-cash giving widget, RAM was prepared to handle the influx and give new supporters clear paths to make DAF, QCD, and other gifts.

“We were ready for that,” Angie said. “We were ready to handle DAFs. We were ready for this influx of QCDs. We were ready with our information to help those donors know how to do that with RAM.”

FreeWill’s tools also became a resource for RAM’s staff as they responded to donors directly. QCDs in particular can be difficult to track when checks arrive without the donor’s name. RAM now directs donors to its FreeWill tool for step-by-step information they can provide to their IRA provider, making the process easier for both the donor and the organization.

FreeWill’s strategic support also gave RAM the confidence to develop its own voice and approach to planned giving. What began as a resource for building a program from scratch has become a go-to partner as RAM’s fundraising needs have evolved.

“Initially, our content writer was a lifesaver and a game changer for us,” Angie shared. “We didn’t know how to talk about these things, and we weren’t comfortable talking about them.”

“I can’t imagine that we would be where we are, and have grown as successfully as we have, had we not had the benefit of everything we’ve learned along the way with FreeWill,” she said.

We were ready for that. We were ready to handle DAFs. We were ready for this influx of QCDs. We were ready with our information to help those donors know how to do that with RAM.

Angie
Planned Giving Specialist