Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

my settings

You are here: Home › Funding & income › Fundraising › Individual and small-scale giving › Legacy fundraising

Legacy fundraising

An average rating of 3.1287878787878788 from 132 votes | Rate this page | Rating stats

Rating statistics for this page

3.1 out of 5 from 132 votes

Breakdown

33 votes

28 votes

21 votes

23 votes

27 votes

Close

Getting started with legacy fundraising and ways to expand your existing legacy base.

by ianbruce — last modified Feb 03, 2012 04:29 PM

Facts about legacies: did you know..? 

  • Legacies are a major source of income for many non profits.
  • Effective legacy marketing and promotion can pull in legacies quicker than most people think (as soon as two years) but it is a medium term strategy.
  • In a dynamic organisation they are immensely useful for building and maintaining financial reserves, for providing investment in service development.
  • But in a static, conservative organisation they can encourage complacency, overblown reserves and hinder other fundraising efforts.

Many non profits benefit from legacies not just charities, but the charity sector is a major beneficiary getting a round 6-7 per cent of their income from this source. While nonprofits of all sizes benefit from legacies, the larger household names benefit most. But this need not be so. Smaller organisations which have good affinity with supporters can achieve legacy income if they seek it appropriately, but relatively few do seek out legacies

Two kinds of legacies

Pecuniary legacies are where someone, in a will, specifies that, say, £2,000 should be left to a person or organisation. Residuary legacies are where, after all the pecuniary legacies have been paid out, the remainder (ie residuary) of the dead persons estate goes to a person of organisation. In legacy marketing residuaries tend to be more valuable but pecuniaries are easier to achieve.

The codicil is a short, simple legal document which can be appended to a will which can easily amend an existing will to add a fixed sum (effectively a donation) to be given to a nonprofit

Getting started with legacies

Start with your supporters and service users

If you are at the beginning of seeking legacies actively, the best place ot start is among your existing supporters and/or existing service users. Traditionally nonprofits felt that asking supporters and beneficiaries was dangerous because it would offend supporters and make beneficiaries feel that there services would be compromised if they did not comply. Deep down was the cultural norm that it was improper/unseemly to talk to a person about their death.

Views on this have changed, partly because death is no longer a taboo subject and partly because charities like RNIB, Cancer Research UK and others have successfully promoted legacies among supporters and beneficiaries without adverse effects. We all know we are going to die one day and doing a little planning is sensible

Your case for support is the trigger

Legators want to know how their legacy will be used, at least in general terms – so describe your need well and graphically using examples

Build a relationship

Tell them clearly how they can mention you in their will and encourage them to tell you, so as you can build a relationship.

Doing it through contacting their solicitor or filling in a codicil and letting you know that they have done so, so you can thank them and keep in touch with them. More dynamic nonprofits invite people who have pledged to include the organisation in their will, to come along to small receptions where they can hear about the work personally and more intimately – thus building a relationship with the legator.

Promoting legacies 

If you want comprehensive guide and a template to construct your own legacy leaflet and a legacy marketing pack to help you get started then

Expanding your legacy income base 

Many non profits receive some legacy income, seemingly by chance, and want to pro-actively promote more legacy income. 

Research who has left you money and why

This is easier said then done when the donor is no longer with you! But often friends may know of why; your organisation may know of links to the legator; sometimes the solicitor or executor will be able to help. 

Target similar people for legacies

Target more people similar to those who have already left you money. Chances are that there are more people like your previous legators out there and if you can find them and ask them appropriately, they also will be sympathetic. How you ask them is for you to judge but common methods are by letter (initially); by advert; at events; through leaflets in your annual report etc – making it as easy as [possible to do and to let you know

Further information 

Have your say 

Talk to others on our fundraising forum.

Why not write a case study about your experience to help others learn from what you have done?

Comments (3)

Log in or register to add comments

GrahamRichards wrote on Feb 04, 2009 02:39 PM

It's not just the BIG BOYS in the charity world who can effectively promote leaving gifts in Wills to their supporters. Small and local charities are in an even better position to do this. They are often known personally by their supporters and some may have either been helped by the charity or know someone who benefitted.

The beauty of legacy marketing is that it doesn't have to cost anything to do, or very little. For example, if you have a regular newsletter, make sure EVERY issue has a short piece in it about "gifts in Wills" (don't use the words "legacy" or "bequest", people aren't that familiar with them these days) and how they benefit the great work you are doing. Just share stories about real people who've been helped(it's OK to change names, but the stories have to be genuine to carry the passion you're wanting to share). Or maybe talk about the difference a gift in a Will could make. For example, have you got a "wish list" of things you'd like to do if you had the money? Tell your supporters about them and let them know that a gift in their Will could make things like this possible.

Don't be put off if you're a smaller charity. Go on a training event on legacy fundraising with your regional Institute of Fundraising or another provider. Ask other fundraisers for advice, or get in touch with someone who specialises in legacy fundraising.

With only 16% of Wills containing charitable gifts, there's another 84% waiting to be persuaded to include them!

Graham Richards - Freelance Fundraiser

ianbruce wrote on Feb 05, 2009 11:07 AM

hi Graham, I think you are absolutely right and your suggestions as to how smaller local charities can promote their need for legacies are really practical and do-able.
Do you get the Cass Centre for Charity Effectiveness e-Newsletter? If not do ring our office on 020 7040 8781. Are you anywhere near London because as a fundraising expert you may be interested in Charity Talks which is featuring direct mail/marketing next time, especially for small/medium size charities. Also today/tomorrow we shall be putting up a podcast of last night's speaker on Major Gift fundraisng.

FREE-FUNDRAISERS wrote on Sep 20, 2011 01:46 PM

Excellent overview on Legacy Life Benefits. What most do not know is you can actually share in the life benefits, donate whatever you wish to your own Church or charity, while also naming your own beneficiaries to protect your family at the same time in case of loss of life. And best of all as a fundraiser, it costs both your non profit organization and you as an individual volunteer nothing to access these and more benefits. This is a new twist on fundraising where the volunteers can be rewarded at the same time. Join-Free.com to see.