Legacy Marketing for charities

For some time now I've been aware that many smaller, more local charities, are not getting their fair share of the gift income, that most of the large charities benefit from, which originates from gifts in people's Wills. This might be because the smaller charities don't think they can compete, or that it's too costly to get involved with.

However, the "big boys" don't have a monopoly on legacy income and, it is my opinion, that smaller, local charities are in a better position to promote the idea of leaving a gift in your Will to charity.

The strength of these smaller charities is that they are local. They are known by local people, some of whom might even have benefited directly from that organisation's services, or at least know friends, neighbours or relatives who have done so. Local people know the good work the charity does. They are aware of the stories about the cause, such as how it came to be and how it helps their local community.

In the light of the (somewhat misguided, I believe) phrase: "charity begins at home", local people like to think that every pound raised locally is being spent locally.

In terms of marketing, local charities are way ahead of the large charities, in getting their stories across, when they have an already receptive audience.

Added to this the fact that legacy marketing can bring in huge sums of money, for little, or, as they say here in Yorkshire, "nowt", it makes it the most cost-effective form of fundraising known to man (and woman). If your organisation has a mailing list, regular newsletters or a website, you have all you need to get started with a legacy campaign and it won't cost you anything (unless your webmaster charges you to add bits to your site).

Now there is a downside I need to mention. Gifts in Wills are completely unpredictable. You never know when one is going to come in, or what value they will be worth when they do. So don't try to reckon on legacies as part of regular income towards your day to day running costs, unless you already have a regular income from them each year on which to base this on.

It's better to treat gifts in Wills as very special income that needs to be treated specially. These remarkable gifts are made by individual people in a very personal way. No one writes a Will without much personal consideration first. The people who support your charity in this special way deserve to be remembered for their remarkable gift. So use income from legacies thoughtfully, possibly using the money to fund a project or the purchase of specialist equipment that it might otherwise have not been possible to fund.

Why not go to my blog, Freelance Fundraiser's Jottings (see the link above), where I'll be exploring more of the ways that smaller charities can become a part of this fundraising activity, without upsetting your Trustees, finance officers or supporters.

Remember: "Small is Bountiful"!

Promoting gifts in Wills online must surely be a top priority for most charities? You think so, given that it is relatively cheap to do, and yet, it can bring in the greatest returns in the form of donations.

However, look through the charity webpages. Try to find their legacy pages if you can. Where they do exist, most of them are hidden away in places you might not even think to search! Then, when you do find them, the content is often poor and ill-thought-out; the layout leaves much to be desired; font sizes are either too small or unchangeable for people with poor eyesight; there's little or no interaction and often no downloadable information.

With increasing numbers of older people, especially those who are of the baby-boomer generation, using the Internet and looking for information online, charities must grasp the importance of this and begin to get their webpages in order, especially their legacy ones!

I have started to develop specialist legacy "mini-sites" that sit within your charity webpage and can easily link in to the rest of it. These pages are designed to meet all the "industry standards" that are recognised as being fundemental to good online legacy promotion and will, hopefully, increase your charity's income from gifts in Wills over time.

The cost of doing this is very reasonable and you can use your own webmaster to make the changes needed. To find out more about how I can help you develop your onlione legacy marketing, simply contact me at: graham(at)freelancefundraiser(dot)co(dot)uk

This month saw the launch of a breakthrough service for legacy fundraising in England and Wales. The new service, which goes under the name of totallyFREEwills Ltd, is the brainchild of Jonathan Parris, ex-director of the Remember a Charity campaign and Stephen Cainer and Richard Harris, two Financial Service Advisers. What makes the service revolutionary is it doesn't cost the donor anything to write a basic Will, nor does it cost the charity anything as well and it means any charity, of any size is now on a level playing field when it comes to offering a free Will-writing service to their supporters.

The new service offers a Will-writing service by Law Society registered solicitors and has been created in full compliance with the Institute of Fundraising's Legacy Marketing Code of Practice. In doing so, it also does away with the ethical problem caused by some large charities using their own funds to pay for people's Wills to be written. This practice is not encouraged by the Charity Commissioners and also leaves those charities open to potential harm, should a Will they paid for be contested in court.

To be able to offer your supporters a free Will-writing service, 52 weeks of the year, via your website, newsletter or any other means of promotion is a huge step forward. I have been working with Totally Free Wills to promote this to smaller charities, such as hospices and other local groups, who often think they can't compete with the "big boys" in the legacy marketplace. I believe they can, but this new scheme proves that anything is now possible!

A subscription-based service is also available for more complex, paid for Wills to be written and also a Probate service for Executors of Wills. These offer participating charities a commission for anyone using the service through that charity. However, the totally free Will service is just that and no charity has to sign up for the subscription services in order to access it.

It is hoped to extend the service to Scotland in the near future and eventually to the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

For more information and for charity online registration, go to the website at http://www.totallyFREEwills.co.uk You can also contact me directly with any questions, via my website's contact page.

If you want to know why I am so fascinated by legacies and legacy fundraising, I guess it's because of the unknown and surprise elements they hold.

For example, just last week there was an amazing story that hit the national BBC News headlines. It concerned a lady, Margaret Allan, who lived in a small Welsh village called Solva. She moved there with her husband Harry 30 years ago. They threw themselves into village life and were quickly accepted and welcomed.

When Harry sadly died in 1990, Margaret found she was upheld and cared for by the rest of the village, which she greatly appreciated. They helped her through. She went on living in Solva and was very much part of the community, even after she became housebound.

Margaret died recently, aged 90. She left a considerable Estate valued at around £400,000. In her Will she left several thousand pounds to local charities, such as a local Badger conservation group; Pembrokeshire Conservation Association; local churches and the Solva Luncheon Club (who receives £5,000 to pay for drinks at their Christmas party (that'll be a gig and a half! ;0).

However, Margaret did something even more remarkable in her Will, she left something for everyone over the age of 60 who has lived in Solva for 20+ years. This is roughly 120 people who will each receive something in the region of £500! It was her way of saying thank you for all the love and care she received over the years she lived in that community.

Gifts in Wills are not just legal activities, they are the wishes of the deceased person, often reflecting the things they held dearly to in life, that can go on being effective after the person passes on. What a great way to be remembered.

Good on you Margaret!