Sur­vey­ing the lega­cy land­scape: why we’re doing it and why we need you

What do senior fundrais­ers in Madrid, Win­nipeg, Wyoming, Gene­va, Sin­ga­pore, Man­ches­ter, Cal­gary, Dublin and Ham­burg have in common?

Written by
Natasha van Bentum
Added
June 02, 2014

Wherever they are from, fundraisers, gift planners and bequest specialists all want to know more about legacy fundraising. Unfortunately, there is a relative lack of information in this area. Quite simply, there is not enough easily-digestible, reliable data for frontline fundraisers that can be put to work here and now.

As legacy blogger extraordinaire, Simon George, writes,‘One in five charities says that a lack of knowledge about legacy fundraising is preventing them from achieving the most from the income stream’.

This first-ever of its kind, international survey, has already received support from fundraising institutions around the world and we are hoping to get as many responses as possible.

Your participation will help to strengthen the research.

Millions of dollars are bequeathed to charities and nonprofit organisations every year. If you’re in a leadership position in management and/or fundraising, you need to know how your organisation is faring and whether your charity is part of this extraordinary transfer of wealth. This survey will help you to mark and track your progress.
We will be asking questions such as:

  • Has the number of bequests your organisation receives changed over the past five years?
  • What is the average bequest gift? (Responses will be analysed by sector.)
  • What is the greatest barrier to developing your legacy giving?
  • Is your legacy income increasing or decreasing?
  • What kind of tracking or monitoring do you do?
  • In your view what primary characteristic is the key factor for uncovering potential legacy donors?

Please join us today. With a mix of yes/no and multiple choice questions, it takes only 10-12 minutes to complete the survey. All answers remain anonymous. Your participation will help to contribute to the art and science of legacy fundraising. You will also have a chance to win an iPad, courtesy of CharityVillage®.

We invite you to take the survey by clicking here: www.charityvillage.com/surveys.

About the author: Natasha van Bentum

Natasha van Bentum is a senior Canadian fundraising practitioner with a primary focus on legacies and bequests. She is project director of Give Green Canada, a project housed at Tides Canada. Natasha mentors and teaches a new generation of fund development practitioners through ‘Jumpstart!’, Give Green Canada’s open learning programme for conservation and environmental organisations across the country and available to all sectors. Natasha can be reached by emailvanbentum@gmail.com.

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