TDA research says legacy marketing "could be three times more powerful"
Howard Lake | 2 July 2007 | News
Research by direct marketing agency TDA suggests that charities need to rethink their legacy marketing strategies: new approaches “could appeal to three times as many over-50s as ‘standard’ legacy promotion”.
The research commissioned by TDA has found that, despite the good work of the Remember a Charity campaign, many over 50s are still not hearing the legacy message. Fifty five per cent of people aged 50 or over who describe themselves as ‘frequently giving money to charity’ have never seriously considered leaving money to charity in their will. Furthermore the research indicates that there is a strong feeling across all socio-economic groups that ‘leaving money to charities isn’t for people like me’ (47%), with this sentiment escalating sharply in bands C to E.
This quantitative research involved a survey of 1,000 adults aged 50 or over, carried out by NEMS Market Research for TDA during May 2007. It was followed up by qualitative research in which TDA explored these findings through a series of focus groups with homeowners aged over 60 who regularly give to charity.
Advertisement
Discussing legacies with these groups showed that most dismissed standard legacy promotion as “irrelevant and uninteresting”. Communications involving celebrities made little difference: focus group members dismissed these with comments such as “I would have expected him to do it”.
David Burrows, Head of Fundraising at TDA, said: “Our research clearly shows that fundraisers should regard the typical legacy prospect as Victor Meldrew rather than Mother Theresa.
“Just because people are affluent, elderly and supportive of charities, they are not necessarily minded to leave a legacy. They live in the real world and whilst they enjoy helping good causes, they have learned to be cynical. Most of them have children and grandchildren, so this is their first priority when making a will.”
TDA, whose charity clients include Cats Protection, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and Save the Children, offered the focus groups alternative legacy propositions. One of these, based on insights from research, was rated very appealing by three times as many over 50s than the ‘standard’ proposition. Burrows will reveal details of this approach and the research at the Institute of Fundraising National Convention next week.
He said: “At the moment, too much legacy marketing entails charities shouting about what they want rather than recognising what their donors need. Like any good marketing activity, legacy promotion should start with the mindset of the target audience and address their concerns. If charities take measures to achieve this, we may see the uplift in legacy giving that the sector needs.”
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.