Legacy and in memory fundraising

Whether you call them legacies, gifts in wills or bequests – asking a donor to remember your charity, with a gift that lives on beyond their lifetime, is a delicate yet important conversation. In this section we share inspiring examples of how charities have spoken to their donors about legacy and in-memoriam giving. If you have an innovative or successful campaign to share, please let us know.

Tutorial 57: stand in your donor’s shoes

by Jerry Huntsinger

Someone somewhere is waiting for your mail. She could be a legacy prospect. Have you excluded her from your mailing list because she gave so little last time – even though she’s been making donations for years?

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The secret of legacy giving is hidden in the life story of your best donors

by Ashley Rowthorn

Ashley Rowthorn shares memories of his grandfather and explains how his story relates to research into how and why donors leave money to charities in their wills. If you are working in legacy fundraising, be sure to take a look! 

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Legacies, they’re nowt to do with thee!*

by Ashley Rowthorn

If you want to create a great, inspirational legacy campaign, you need to get inside your donors’ heads.

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British Heart Foundation ‘Gift of Hope’ and ‘Give in Celebration’

by Joe Burnett

Find out how the British Heart Foundation completely reinvented their strategy for in memory giving. How? By providing a more involving experience for donors and making great use of new technology. A wonderful lesson for all fundraisers

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SOFII stars: treasures of legacy marketing

by SOFII

Our selection of SOFII stars this time centred on treasures of legacy marketing. Exhibits and articles include Greenpeace Sweden’s legacy commercials, a University of Oxford legacy brochure, the NSPCC’s approach to legacy training and Mal Warwick giving us the facts on legacy giving, amongst a wealth of ever essential reads.

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Trillium Gift of Life Network: ‘bucket list’

by SOFII

This is a great public awareness campaign with interactive use of social media and appropriate targeting.

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NSPCC: Legacy-themed Garden of Magical Childhood

by Claire Routley

This garden was designed to demonstrate how gifts in supporters’ wills supported the NSPCC’s work. It is a beautiful and unique way to  take visitors on a special journey through history.

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‘Behind the clock’ legacy marketing – if you aren’t doing it, perhaps you should be

by Eifron Hopper

The decision to make a will and leave a legacy is often one that takes a long while. Find out how to engage with your supporters and deliver the legacy messages that will help them to make one of the most important gifts of all.

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Sandra Schmirler Foundation’s printed legacy guide: You’re In My Heart Forever’

by SOFII

A great legacy campaign from Canada; the Sandra Schmirler Foundation manages to tread that delicate balance between inspiring their supporters with stories about the lives of ordinary families and sharing why legacies are so important. 

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The Darüşşafaka Society: a unique offer for special donors

by Gunes Yildirim

Darüşşafaka – meaning house of kindness – has provided full scholarships to orphans as well as clothing, accommodation, healthcare and food. But there’s also a lot we can learn about donor care, legacy and high value fundraising from the oldest NGO in Turkey.

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Remember A Charity legacy awareness week 2014

by SOFII

Without legacies very many charitable organisations all over the world wouldn’t exist. Click here to see Remember A Charities ‘living legends’ explain their love of giving and why they have left a legacy to charity in their will.

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Remember a Charity’s initial research into legacy giving

by SOFII

Charities in the UK receive £2 billion per year, 13 per cent of all charitable donations, through gifts in wills. Research carried out this year by Remember a Charity showed that by asking the right questions this already massive amount could be increased by 67 per cent. Want to find out the questions? Of course you do so, go ahead, click here to see them on SOFII.

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