# Developing a legacy culture

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/02/10/developing-legacy-culture/
- Published: 2012-02-10T14:44:09+00:00
- Author: Simon George

**Legacy marketing can be a bit “us” and “them” can’t it? We the charity ask them
the supporters for a donation, using marketing techniques to overlay and crunch 
the data. We segment and target prospects that match the best profiles and have 
the greatest propensity to give. It can all seem a bit one way, impersonal and data
driven. But there is a different way. **

Some of the most effective legacy fundraising I have seen is based not so much on
these techniques (although we cannot abandon them entirely), but on developing a
strong legacy culture. In other words, where leaving a legacy to a given cause is
the normal, natural thing for supporters to do.

200 years agao, it was a very normal thing to leave a legacy to your local parish
church. Look in many older church buildings and you will still see the plaques remembering
these donors. They did it because it was expected and just “what you did”. But we
have got out of the habit, which is why charities invest so much in persuading people
it is a good idea and why Remember a Charity has been seeking to normalise legacy
giving again.

## Advertisement

There are examples though of charities in recent years that have successfully established
legacy giving as the norm, from trustees and major givers downwards. Take a look
at the Acorns Childrens’ Hospice campaign as a good example. This charity has massively
increased its legacy income and also created a deep culture of legacies. The two
are clearly connected. So what are the secrets to achieving this?

First, **leadership**. From the top of the organisation it needs to be made clear
that serious supporters are expected to leave a legacy. Trustees can take the lead
here.

Secondly, **openness**. Successful legacy fundraising charities talk about legacies
at every opportunity, in a natural and unforced way, whether this is in conversation,
in literature, at events or on websites.

Thirdly, **consistency**. Legacies are not just promoted occasionally when the latest
appeal is out of the way or fitted into a mailing schedule. Rather they are given
priority and mentioned regularly, so that everyone in the community associated with
the charity gets the message.

Fourthly, **internal marketing** supports the external. By making sure all your 
staff, trustees and volunteers “get” the importance of legacies, you are creating
a large sales force of ambassadors that can extend its influence far beyond the 
reach of the fundraising team.

Creating a legacy culture is not a quick fix. It takes time and persistance, but
for those charities that achieve it, the results are the holy grail of fundraising.

************************************************************************************************************

Simon George is a Director of Wootton George Consulting and a Fellow of the Institute
of Fundraising. He has worked in fundraising since 1987 and has special interestes
in strategy, legacies and trusts. He works with a wide range of charities in a consultancy
capacity. www.wgconsulting.co.uk si***@*************co.uk Tel 01785 663600.

 * **[New study of charity legacy advertising published](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/04/26/new-study-charity-legacy-advertising-published/)**(
   26 April 2012)
 * **[Co-op joins Remember A Charity to promote leaving a charitable legacy](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/06/24/coop-joins-remember-charity-promote-leaving-charitable-legacy/)**(
   24 June 2012)
 * **[Planned giving and the brain](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/07/01/planned-giving-and-brain/)**(
   1 July 2012)