Gifts in wills – letting supporters know – online and offline

Charities need to communicate effectively with supporters. Over the past couple of decades the charity sector has increased awareness of the importance of gifts in wills. Trends show an increasing number of supporters are leaving gifts in wills – the 2020 figures from Smee & Ford show over £3bn (out of £12bn overall fundraising) came from gifts in wills. This has doubled in 10 years.

To maintain this trend and allow everyone who wants to leave a gift in a will to do so – charities must keep searching for new ways to communicate with supporters. At Make a Will Online we run the Google Ads Accelerator programme (contact Partnerships for more details). This makes the most of your online reach. You can communicate with your supporters and potential supporters online. By working with Google Ads you can reach out to them at the point that they are making their wills.

Not all supporters are online. To reach supporters on your database you can write letters or send out annual reports/ newsletters. This raises the question – how do you reach potential supporters at the point they are making their wills? The answer could be the Law Society Gazette Directory. This directory is sent to 13,974 solicitors and 4,000 funeral directors. 69% of these keep it in the client appointment area and/ or use it as a guide. The type of client who is unlikely to be looking at Google Ads is precisely the type of client likely to make their will with a solicitor. The paper guide also provides for inclusion in the online directory here: Law Gazette Charities Explorer. Prices for inclusion start at £430.

For further details about inclusion in the Law Society Gazette Directory contact Karen Kitcher .