Commission on the Donor Experience: legacies

Howard Lake | 29 September 2016 | Blogs

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• Commission on the Donor Experience
• legacies

Legacies have the potential to transform charities, our country and the world in the next few years or so. So getting the experience right must be as important as knowing and understanding what to do.
In the UK, legacies raises over £2 billion, but only 7% of the population leave a gift. But more and more supporters are now beginning to do it – from 12% of those with a will to over 17% in 2014. At the heart of legacies or gifts in wills is the ability to see it as a normal way to give and to be able to speak about it openly and inspirationally. However, the key reason legacies still struggle, despite the progress is the lack of understanding and lack of action.
On top of this, fundraising staff finds it hard to talk legacies. They remain removed from them and sit from afar looking at legacies with fear. Death, legalities, appropriateness and lack of knowledge and confidence loom in the way.
Our messaging has made huge leaps in recent years. Emotional, relevant and focused on a positive future have all helped create a sense of brand about legacies. But even then there are still many who talk in language that is removed or legal or use clichés – where there’s a will there’s a way…!. . And then there is some of the public’s perception of charities being in competition with families or being in dispute. Sometimes their experience as an executor undermines their experience as a donor.
The Commission on the Donor Experience is trying to see things from the donor’s viewpoint.
And experience is the key, as that is what can make the difference in giving and long term relationships. Legacies are like most fundraising of course, but there is something more fundamental and complex going on for legacies that act as a barrier between what the donor wants and needs and how we behave, initiate and respond.
As a champion for legacies, both in the UK and globally, I have seen how important it is that behavior is influenced by experience. So to make a contribution to the Commission for legacies I would like to hear from fundraisers at every level about what they see that works and what gets in the way from a great experience
The survey explores 4 dimensions, with 3 key and open questions.
a) The donors and families needs & experience
b) The organisations culture, capacity and experience
c) The legacy marketing and influence method and experience
d) The probate experience and approach
Explored through
a) What works that inspires and gives a positive experience
b) What gets in the way of delivering an inspiring and positive experience?
c) How would you make this remarkable now and in the future?
If we transform the donor experience we transform the giving and we transform what we can do for our causes. To take part, go to:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BTQPRDP
 
Stephen George
September 2016
 
This is the fourth in our series profiling some of the 25 working groups of volunteers who are contributing to the Commission on the Donor Experience with the aim of changing fundraising for good. Previous contributions include:

• Commission on the Donor Experience: trusts and foundations by Deanna Wolf
• Commission on the Donor Experience: thanking and welcoming by John Grain
• Commission on the Donor Experience: evidence of impact and effectiveness by Ben Russell

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.