Our Chief Executive, Kerry Rock, shares her tips for incorporating legacy giving into your fundraising plan.
There’s no denying that legacy giving is on the rise, but with fundraising teams already stretched, you might be wondering how legacy giving fits with your existing fundraising plan.
You can’t do it alone
A legacy programme takes some work to get off the ground, but once you do it’s the gift that will keep on giving. However, that doesn’t mean that you can (or should) try to tackle it all alone. For your legacy plan to really work, you need to incorporate it across all areas of fundraising and get the full weight of your organisation behind you.
Keep it simple
Keep your legacy campaign simple and consistent. But don’t shy away from the unique aspects of your organisation that make it stand out – what do your supporters love about you? Can you build a concrete campaign with facts and figures to back it up but with an emotional element that will engage your supporters? Once you start receiving gifts in wills, share the stories of the people who are leaving gifts in wills. These are the people creating a lasting legacy through your organisation and your supporters will want to hear their stories.
Celebrate your success
Legacies are a slow burn and they won’t happen overnight so make a long-term plan. Celebrate the results you do get straight away, whether that’s someone leaving a gift, a pledge for a future gift or a kind comment about your campaign. By celebrating these results and sharing them with your organisation, you’ll create an emotional buy-in that will strengthen your campaign.
Break down silos
Too often fundraisers work in silos with major gifts, individual giving and corporate fundraising never crossing paths. Running a legacy campaign is a fantastic way to break down these organisational barriers because it fits with all areas of fundraising. Your legacy campaign can complement activities that are already happening in your organisation and give your volunteers and service delivery staff something new to talk about. By involving them in discussions about legacy campaigns from the beginning, your most passionate advocates will have all the knowledge they need to tell people about legacies on your behalf.
Go digital
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the things we thought had to happen face-to-face, can work just as well online. This is just as true for your legacy campaigns, digital fundraising hugely increased your reach and you can start with a relevantly low budget. Some areas to consider are:
- Google Ads
- Facebook advertising
- LinkedIn advertising
- Influencer marketing spread the message about your legacy campaign.
At Prospecting for Gold, we have over 25 years of experience helping charities and non-profits meet their fundraising goals. If you have a question about corporate fundraising, email info@prospectingforgold.co.uk and we’ll happily help.