Best use of legacy fundraising
Howard Lake | 30 June 2011 | Blogs
For the campaign that demonstrates innovation linked to success in the use of legacy fundraising
The shortlisted entries, listed alphabetically, are:
Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture
RNIB
Cystic Fibrosis Trust
The objectives were to generate new pledgers using a bolder and more direct approach. It also aimed to discover supporters’ views towards legacy giving in general. Focus groups in three areas tested ideas and messages and key feedback helped form the approach used in Rosie’s Lasting Legacy. The campaign was announced in supporter newsletters and the annual review to raise awareness. DM was chosen as the medium for the two-part campaign as the focus groups said this was their preferred way of being approached. Website pages reflected the new campaign with information available to download. Success was measured by number of pledges received and the number requesting further information. The target was 60 new pledges, but 115 were received and 21 requests for further information.
Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture
The Medical Foundation’s warmest supporters received a short phone call explaining that a letter was coming to them. The letter argued the case for a legacy, and a further phone call followed (to those who hadn’t opted out) to ask if the supporter had considered a legacy. If appropriate they were offered options for personalised follow-up assistance from a legacy specialist. The integrated – call and mail – element involved 390 supporters within a wider mail only (7,610) campaign. The integrated cell yielded an 8.13% pledge rate with an extra 20 pledges declared. Six people have asked for more contact and 17 have expressed their intention to leave a bequest. The Medical Foundation doesn’t have a big budget for testing new fundraising approaches and this was hugely innovative and groundbreaking for the charity.
RNIB
The RNIB has a programme of 30 UK-wide events to increase awareness and pledges of legacies. At each reception the RNIB demonstrates how it invests voluntary income and puts to good use legacy gifts. By implication this also shows what the adverse consequences would be without this support. Through the receptions new prospects are generated for face-to-face follow up by regional advisors and new pledgers are identified, thanked and put into the Pledger Programme. Targets and projections are measured by number invited, number attended, number confirmed as new pledges and hot prospects.
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.