40% of charity supporters say they’d like to leave a gift in their will. However, only 8% of people actually get around to doing it.
How can you improve the odds for your charity?
Whether you are just getting started or giving an existing campaign a boost, this is where to start
Celebrate your achievement. Let your colleagues (including volunteers and trustees) know that you’ve launched your free wills campaign. Internal engagement is incredibly important. We can attend any internal engagement sessions to help explain the importance of gifts in wills.
See our internal engagement resources.
Settle upon your core message to supporters. What is the best message or phrase to let them know that they can leave a gift, however small, and it will be gratefully received (e.g. Did you know – if you leave just 1% of your estate to charity others closest to you receive 99%). Again – ensure all of your colleagues are engaged.
Check out our landing page guide for tips on creating a call to action that converts.
Sign up with peer support groups for gifts in wills fundraising – a good stating point is the Legacy & In Memory Special Interest Group.
More about the Legacy and in-memory SIG.
Legacy Loop LinkedIn Group
To help support the Legacy Loop monthly sessions we have a Legacy Loop LinkedIn group. This is a closed group only available for our charity partners. You can access the group using this link. If you would like to join, use the ‘request to join’ button. It’s an additional way to keep you informed and for you to be able to ask questions and share ideas.
Gather legacy champion stories. Ask those closest to the charity who has left a gift in their will. Find out their reasons.
Get consent to share with other supporters. You’ll learn more about your donors and get priceless stories that can be used in your gifts in wills communications.
More about legacy champions.
Integrate a gifts in wills message to all your communications. Requests for a cash donation in every email, newsletter or letter is considered “normal”. Why not educate supporters too – let them know that they can leave a gift in their will?
Check out our email footer guide.
Start building the why for your gifts in wills campaign – and communicate that. Have you received any gifts in wills? What have they allowed you to do which you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to achieve? What would you do if you received a small handful of gifts (bear in mind a typical gift can be worth £30,000).
See some more ideas in this list for legacy fundraisers.
Communicate a specific gifts in wills message directly to supporters. Schedule an article in your newsletters. A feature in the first, followed by a short piece in each newsletter after that.
Access the $10,000 monthly Google Adwords Grant and devote some or all of this to your gifts in wills message. Our in-house experts can help.
More about getting the most from a Google Ads grant.
Invite supporters to an event. Either over video conference or (if safe to do so) in person. Think about engaging new pledgers and “stewardship”(keeping those closest to you engaged).
Check out this press release template.
Engage your supporters with our marketing materials. Download and print a leaflet (page 1, page 2) explaining our service.
Plan some communications to tie in with Remember a Charity Week and Make a Will Month. This is usually held in September/October. It is accompanied by a nationwide campaign and ongoing publicity. There are annual seasonal peaks in will making activity in Spring and Autumn. Book time out in your calendar to review in advance so that your campaigns are ready to take advantage of these natural seasonal peaks in will making.
Review your integrated messages and refresh as required. Plan to review what worked well or didn’t perform as expected on an annual basis and make the necessary changes to ensure your campaigns are current and aligned with the latest marketing trends to enable them to grow year on year.
Take advantage of our training offers and come along to our regular informal Legacy Loop sessions. If you would like a specific topic to be discussed or if you have anything you would like to share – perhaps there’s something that you’d like to celebrate which has worked well or you’d like advice on something in particular, contact marie@makeawillonline.co.uk
April 2025 Legacy Loop – Lay Executors – Communications, Compassion and Common Pitfalls – Paul Browne, Head of Legacy Administration, Legacy Link
This month’s Legacy Loop webinar featured expert insights from Paul Browne, Head of Legacy Administration at Legacy Link. Huge thanks to Paul for sharing invaluable advice on how charities can build constructive and respectful relationships with lay executors, those entrusted with carrying out the final wishes of a loved one. See the slides here.
Key takeaways included:
- Tailor communication to each individual executor – ditch the one-size-fits-all approach
- Start gently: a letter of condolence, thanks and support goes a long way
- Understand the background of the legacy giver and the executor’s connection to the charity is key
- Match the tone, timing, and method of your communication to the executor’s preferences
- Avoid overwhelming executors, especially when multiple charities are involved. Coordination is key!
- Be mindful of religious or cultural considerations and always consider the impact on your charity’s reputation
- Never make an ask during estate administration – it’s inappropriate and counterproductive
Also, did you know that Legacy Link has a free legacy help desk – https://www.legacyfutures.com/
All of these are brilliant resources for new and experienced legacy professionals.
March 2025 Legacy Loop – Legacy Fundraising Unlocked – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome – Owning your Impact – Jordan Miller-Hughes, Legacy Consultant
Key takeaways from the session:
- Imposter syndrome is prevalent in fundraising and is often linked to burnout, perfectionism, and pressure to demonstrate short-term results.
- Success in legacy fundraising is rooted in long-term thinking, relationship-building, and staying focused on impact rather than immediate income.
- KPIs matter, but they need to reflect the journey of legacy giving. Think engagement metrics, will completions, pledge rates, and the pipeline -not just short-term income.
- Internal engagement and cross-team collaboration are essential. As Jordan said, legacy fundraisers need to manage up and sideways.
- It’s okay not to know all the answers – be open, be human and keep the conversation going.
February 2025 – In-memory giving and gifts in wills – what connects them, and what can we do about it? – Kate Jenkinson – Senior In-Memory Consultant at Legacy Futures
Kate explored the connections between In-Memory Giving and Gifts in Wills, sharing practical ways charities can strengthen these links and grow their legacy fundraising. This is a must watch session – check out the video, download the slide pack and have read of the research paper that Kate mentions in her presentation.
In-memory giving and legacy giving are deeply personal, but while in-memory focuses on the past, legacies look to the future. Finding the bridge between them is key. Many in-memory gifts are small, but their true long-term value can come from event participation and tribute funds – how can we nurture these donors towards a future gift in a will?
Top tips to try:
Use internal engagement to explain the connections (and differences) to colleagues in other teams
Promote legacies as an in-memory offer in their own right
- Create inspiration around remembering somebody special as a reason to pledge
- Dial up legacies as a core component of tribute funds and introduce from the start – and as an ‘exit strategy’ for funds that have run their natural course
- Use heartfelt in-memory stories to bring life and warmth to legacy content
- Remind your legacy audience about remembering loved ones wherever possible
- Enable collective giving
- Consider the option of blended giving for your charity
- Celebrate your charity’s own legacy heroes
Storytelling is essential – sharing donor stories can inspire others and show the lasting impact of their generosity. Integrating legacy messaging earlier in tribute fund communications and across fundraising channels can help supporters naturally progress from in-memory donations to a gift in their will.
Breaking down silos between teams working on legacy and in-memory giving will unlock great potential for growth in this space.
November 2024 – Planning Effective Legacy Fundraising Events – Clare Sweeney – Keepace Consults
Looking to create impactful legacy fundraising events that truly resonate with your supporters – then this session is for you. Clare shared essential tips and tools for planning meaningful legacy events, from setting clear objectives and understanding your audience to choosing the right event format, be it in-person or virtual. Whether you’re thinking of an informational or inspirational event (or a blend of both) this webinar will give you actionable steps to organise an event that engages and inspires your supporters. It’s well worth a watch – watch it here and download the slide pack.
Clare loves taking about legacies therefore, if you have any questions about the session or if you’d like to find out more about how she could help your charity please reach out to her directly, on LinkedIN. Here are some of the takeaways from the session:
Reason Why – Events are not just about engagement; they’re valuable for reaching new audiences and stewarding existing supporters. They’re also a fantastic way to nurture ambassadors for your cause.
Planning – Tailor your event to your cause and audience. Is your cause aspirational, or are supporters already emotionally connected?
Timing – Consider your audience’s availability and the best time of year. Would a weekday morning or afternoon in the spring work better than a weekend evening during the winter months?
Budget – Events don’t have to be expensive! With careful planning and collaboration, they can still be impactful.
Collaboration – Work with other teams and even external organizations that share a connection to your cause.
Capturing the Event – Capture the energy and success of your event to inform and inspire future legacy communications.
Messaging – Ensure clear, thoughtful messaging before and after the event.
Connection – Focus on emotional ties to your cause and celebrate the impact of gifts in wills to foster a sense of community.
Follow-Up – This is KEY! Reach out to attendees to keep the momentum alive – and also connect with those who couldn’t make it. Share the event highlights and how it was received.
Watch the video of Clare’s seminar.
October 2024 – The story of a lifetime – Creating legacy comms that go deeper – Ben Brill, Creative Director at Consider Creative
If you’re looking for fresh ideas to inspire your supporters and create a lasting impact, this webinar is for you.You can watch the webinar and download the slide pack.
September 2024 – Best Practice for Managing Legacies Internally’ with Paul Browne, Head of Legacy Administration at Legacy Link
- What is the role of a legacy officer – why are we there?
- How to stay on top of cases – thoughtful proactivity
- How to deal with a property sale – don’t let it pass you by
- Estate Investments – make the disposal work for you
- Tax dodging for your charity’s benefit – no discounts for cash
- Checking Accounts – it’s not just about adding up
- Reporting requirements
- Indemnities – don’t do it…..
- Contention – nothing to fear, with a little help from your friends
Recording and links to articles: Best Practice for Managing Legacies Internally – Paul Browne – Legacy Link
July 2024 – Exploring key insights into public will-writing behaviours and attitudes towards legacy giving, Lucinda Frostick, Director of Remember A Charity
Lucinda uncovered trends which were identified by the consortium’s annual benchmarking research which surveyed over 2000 charity donors aged 40+. She also shared a sneak peek of this year’s Remember A Charity Week campaign, and details on how you can get involved. Lucinda has also shared further links below on how to sign up for their free Legacy Bulletin, how to take advantage of their current discounts for membership and how to get in touch with her directly:
- To sign up to their free Legacy Bulletin, please click here
- They are currently offering two discounts for charities joining Remember A Charity – 15 months of membership for the price of 12 months (taking you through two Remember A Charity Week cycles) or 20% off. To find out more about the consortium and the benefits we offer, click here
- And, of course, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Lucinda at Remember A Charity directly. You can connect via LinkedIn here
Here’s the recording of the session and here is the slide pack.
June 2024 – Legacy Fundraising on a Shoestring with Richard Radcliffe, FCIoF Cert
This was a recording breaking webinar and saw the most attendees to date tune in. It’s a “must see” for all our charity partners regardless of size or activity – full of great ideas. Richard delivered a thoroughly motivational webinar. You will learn how to integrate great messages into mail, emails, social media, newsletters, enews, events, staff & volunteer communications and in talks.
April 2024 – Maximising Fundraising Potential: Integrating AI into Your Legacy Fundraising Strategy – A Balanced View – Mary Kemp, Simpler with AI
Our charity partners delved into the dynamic world of AI legacy fundraising with a captivating webinar hosted by Mary Kemp from Simpler with AI. The session shed light on how AI integration can revolutionize legacy fundraising strategies, offering innovative pathways to engage supporters and secure long-term support for charitable causes. Here are some key takeaways from the insightful discussion:
- Exploring the transformative power of AI in legacy fundraising
- Leveraging AI tools to personalize donor interactions and nurture lasting relationships
- Unveiling strategies to optimize AI integration for maximum impact on legacy giving
A huge thank you to Mary for sharing her expertise and guiding us through this enriching exploration of AI in Legacy Fundraising. You can find the recording here.
For our partners who are ready to dive deeper into AI, Mary kindly offered to give our charity partners a free 45 minute session which is more hands on – email mary@simplierwith.ai to book your session.
March 2024 – What’s in a Will & More – Oliver Asha and Sarah Husbands – Make a Will Online
Oliver and Sarah explained the key parts of a will, highlighting how this works on the Make a Will Online platform. They also spoke about the main blockers for many who still have not completed a will and what charities need to do if these conversations crop up. You can watch the video and download the slides.
February 2024 – How to have confident legacy conversations – Clare Sweeney, Keepace Consults
Clare inspired everyone with some top tips on how to get wider teams feeling comfortable and confident about getting involved with spreading their legacy messages. Do get in touch with Clare directly if you need further assistance. In this dynamic session, Clare demystified the art of legacy conversations, empowered charities to forge deeper connections with their supporters and uncovered the secrets to confidently navigating legacy discussions through:
- Debunking Myths: Explored and dispelled common misconceptions surrounding legacy giving, paving the way for authentic conversations.
- Types of Fundraising Conversations: Learnt tailored approaches for engaging supporters in fruitful discussions, focusing specifically on gifts in wills.
- Pipeline and Expectations: Gained insights into building a robust legacy pipeline and setting realistic expectations for successful outcomes.
- Supporter Motivations: Understood what motivates supporters to consider leaving lasting legacies, enhancing your ability to connect on a personal level.
- Why Conversations Matter: Discovered the profound impact of meaningful conversations and how they drive substantial support for your cause.
- Conversation Toolkit: Equip yourself with practical tools and strategies to navigate legacy discussions effectively.
Watch the video here and download the slide pack too.
January 2024 – Charity Claim Checker, IDR Charity Network – IDR Law
We were joined by Martin Holsworth, Director of IDR Law and Lindsay Gibson, Head of Marketing for presenting. It was very interesting to learn more about the work that IDR Law does with inheritance disputes and their IDRN (Charity guidance network) plus we had a demo of the Charity Claim Checker from Lindsay which gave us insights into the tool and how it can help assessing the validity of a letter of claim. Do reach out to both Martin or Lindsay directly if you have any further questions.
Here’s the link to recording of the session plus the link to the IDRN which is the charity network of resources and where you can access the Charity Claim Checker. Membership is free so why not register and add the tools to your toolkit. You’ll also find the link to the letter of claim that was used in the session. Feel free to test the Charity Claim Checker tool out for yourself.
Webinar recording: https://youtu.be/
IDRN – Charity Claim Checker: https://idrn.idrlaw.
November 2023 – Video like a TV Pro – with Brilliant Trees Media and Keepace Consultants
We were joined by Susanna Boccaccio, Director of Brilliant Trees Media and Clare Sweeney of Keepace Consultants. It was fascinating to learn more about the potential of video and gain some real practical tips on how easy it can be to make your own video in a professional way. Plus gain some insights into some of the real experiences that Susannah and Clare have had recently filming at charities. The whole process that’s involved and how engaging an experience it can be for everyone involved within charities was wonderful to hear about. Please find the recording of the session here plus the slide pack too. If you have any further questions please contact Susanna and Clare directly – you’ll find their contact details at the end of the slide pack.
Here’s the link to the recording – https://youtu.be/ZJ_4v4WZFkw
October 2023 – Death to Distribution – Improving understanding and communication between legacy managers, law firms and executors
We were joined by Matthew Lagden (Institute of Legacy Management) and Sarah Husbands (Lawyer – Digilegal). It was lovely to welcome so many of our charity partners and members of the ILM to the session. The aim of the session was to help improve understanding and communication between legacy managers and law firms/executors. Thank you to all that joined and for your input and the questions that you raised – very interesting session. Matthew and Sarah brought their wealth of experience to discuss the following topics below. Check out the video recording and the summary slide pack.
Pre-probate: what’s involved in getting a case ready, what causes delays
Notifications: when and from whom
Best practice for communications and contact
Distribution of estate: common reasons for delay and retention
Fee scales: what to expect and what to ask the solicitors
Case scenarios: best and worse cases from a probate, charity and law firm perspective
Guidance for “thank you’s”
Questions and discussion
July 2023 – Open Forum & Networking – ‘Someone has pledged – what next?’
We were pleased to run an open forum discussion session this month which focused on the submitted discussion topic of ‘Someone has pledged – what next’. Thank you all for joining and taking part in the discussions, it was interesting to find out more about how you approach this. Check out the recorded session.
Marie put together some power-point slides on the main points and ideas that came up. You can use this to help register what you already do in this space and how – plus add planning items that you want to develop in the future. You can download the slides here.
June 2023 – Smee and Ford Data Pros and Cons presented by Chris Lincoln
Chris presented on the pros and cons of using Smee & Ford’s data to support the growth of legacy income across charities of all sizes and causal areas. Chris provided sector-wide insights and an interactive demonstration of a dashboard that had been custom-built exclusively for our webinar. Check out the video and presentation.
April 2023 – Who and How to Steward – Resources
May 2023 – Planning a communications campaign
Alex Hammond from Digilegal introduced the OASIS model of communication campaign planning and gave some digital marketing tips. Check out the video.
March 2023 – internal engagement resources
We were joined by Mike Flaherty from the North Wales Wildlife Trust who shared how he approached internal engagement at the Trust. Take a look at his slides below. He also shared his Front Line Legacy Enquiry Form.
Marie shared an internal engagement resource which charities can download and make their own to help engage staff internally and start the conversation about the importance of gifts in wills.
Marie also shared the 7 things to consider for Landing Pages – use this tool to help you get focus on what you want your landing page to achieve.
February 2023 Webinars
- Stephen George: Changing behaviour and making connections with the right messages – https://youtu.be/MO30cNjFIW8
- Stephen George: Building a Legacy Pipeline – https://youtu.be/BNKoh3dDtpw
- Check out this seminar with Richard Radcliffe from January 2022 and this earlier seminar with Richard Radcliffe.
- See these seminars with Clare Sweeney on internal engagement and how to empower everyone in your organisation to have positive legacy conversations: part 1, part 2.
- A masterclass on testamentary capacity for legacy fundraisers.