For many years, major donor and legacy fundraising have been treated as separate disciplines. Major donor teams focus on securing significant gifts during a supporter’s lifetime, while legacy teams encourage and support people to leave gifts in their wills.

There are good reasons for that specialisation, but it is increasingly out of step with the way many wealthy donors think about their philanthropy.

For high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in particular, lifetime and legacy giving are often not separate decisions. They can be different parts of a longer philanthropic journey, shaped by the same values, ambitions and desire to make an impact.

This was a central theme of a discussion I took part in at the Legacy Strategy Summit, exploring the journey from major donor to transformational legacy gift. What came through strongly was the importance of looking at that journey from the donor’s perspective, rather than through the organisational structures we have created around fundraising.

Looking at philanthropy through the donor's eyes

It is important not to generalise about wealthy donors. Their circumstances, motivations and approaches to giving can vary significantly. However, many high-net-worth individuals are accustomed to taking a strategic approach to their finances, supported by lawyers, accountants, wealth advisers and, in some cases, family offices.

As Anna Turner, Legacy Future’s head of research and insight, explained during the Summit, this can also influence the way they approach philanthropy. While their motivations may be familiar, such as a connection to a cause and a desire to make a lasting difference, wealthy donors may think particularly carefully about the impact their money can achieve.

That has important implications for legacy fundraising. A gift in a will does not necessarily represent a completely new decision at the end of a donor’s relationship with a charity. It can be part of a wider conversation about what they want their philanthropy to achieve during their lifetime and beyond.

For some, leaving a legacy is a natural continuation of a long-standing commitment to the causes they support. Lifetime and legacy giving are not competing choices, but complementary parts of a broader philanthropic strategy.

This means moving away from the idea that a major donor becomes a legacy prospect at a particular point. Instead, charities should think about how they can help donors consider the different ways they might achieve the impact they want to make.

Legacy giving is not a threat to lifetime income

One of the most common concerns I hear from major donor fundraisers is that talking about a legacy gift might reduce the amount someone is prepared to give during their lifetime.

However, the evidence suggests we should challenge that assumption. Research by Professor Russell James found that when someone puts a charitable gift in their will, their lifetime giving increases by around 77 per cent.

That does not mean every donor who makes a legacy commitment will automatically increase their lifetime giving. Donor behaviour is inevitably more complicated than that. But it does challenge the idea that lifetime and legacy giving are naturally in competition.

Legacy giving should instead be presented as another option within the philanthropic relationship. As Anna Turner observed during our discussion, it can be a win-win when donors can see all the possibilities and think about how they might work together.

There is a significant opportunity here. Legacy Futures research shows that gifts in wills worth more than £300,000 already account for 38 per cent of total legacy income. The people capable of making gifts at this level are often already known to major donor teams and may have been supporting the charity for years.

If the legacy conversation only begins once that relationship has been handed to a legacy team, charities may be leaving a considerable opportunity unexplored.

Bringing the disciplines closer together

The answer is not necessarily to merge major donor and legacy teams. Specialist legacy expertise remains essential, particularly given the legal and practical issues involved and major donor teams are experts in building lifetime relationships. The problem arises when specialisation becomes separation.

A major donor fundraiser may have spent years building a relationship with a supporter and understanding their interests, motivations and aspirations. Yet when the conversation turns towards the future or estate planning, they may feel the subject should immediately be handed over to a legacy specialist.

What fundraisers need is not to become experts in wills and estate planning. They need the confidence to recognise when a legacy conversation might be appropriate, introduce the subject sensitively and know when to involve specialist colleagues.

At UNICEF UK, Caroline Donald, senior supporter engagement manager, described how the organisation has developed an information pack, training and role play to help major donor colleagues have legacy conversations. This allows specialists to equip colleagues without expecting them to become specialists themselves.

The same principle works in the other direction. Legacy fundraisers can benefit from understanding the history and context of the major donor relationship, ensuring their involvement builds on what is already there.

Listening for the opportunity

There is no single right moment to introduce legacy giving. It is tempting to look for a particular age, giving level or stage in the donor journey, but the best opportunities are often found by listening to what donors are already telling us.

A donor might mention updating their will, talking to advisers, putting their affairs in order or reflecting on the values they want to pass on. They may begin thinking about the difference they want their philanthropy to make over the longer term.

These moments should not become scripted fundraising opportunities. They are simply openings for a conversation.

As Dominic Myers Green, head of supporter giving and legacies at Asthma and Lung UK, pointed out during the Summit, many wealthy individuals are already used to thinking about their assets and financial planning. Estate planning may therefore be a more natural topic than fundraisers sometimes assume.

Protecting the relationship

Once a donor expresses an interest in leaving a legacy, charities also need to consider what happens to the relationship. There can be a tendency to move someone into a separate legacy journey, but a change in the subject of the conversation does not necessarily require a change in the relationship.

UNICEF UK offers a useful example. Donors generally remain with their existing relationship manager, with the legacy team providing specialist support where needed. This helps preserve the trust that has already been built while bringing additional expertise into the relationship.

For me, that is a fundamental principle. The role of the legacy specialist is not necessarily to replace the relationship, but to support it.

Reimagining high-value fundraising

Ultimately, this is about more than securing additional legacy income. It is about rethinking how we understand high-value philanthropy.

A major donor may want to make a substantial difference during their lifetime while also ensuring that their commitment continues through their estate. From the donor's perspective, there is no contradiction between those ambitions. The distinction exists largely within our fundraising structures.

Major donor and legacy teams do not need to become one team, and specialist expertise will remain essential. But the disciplines need to be much more closely connected. Fundraisers need opportunities to learn from one another, practical support to build confidence and processes that make it easy to involve specialist colleagues without unnecessarily transferring the relationship.

Most importantly, we need to put the donor's philanthropic journey ahead of our own departmental boundaries. For many high-value supporters, giving during their lifetime and leaving a gift in their will are not separate fundraising decisions. They are part of the same approach to philanthropy, shaped by their values, ambitions and the difference they want to make.

If we can recognise that, we have an opportunity not only to secure transformational gifts, but to build relationships that reflect the full scope of a donor’s philanthropic ambitions.

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