Dignity in Dying secures over £200k in legacy pledges with aid of Transform Foundation grant

A legacy campaign that received a funding grant from the Transform Foundation has secured  £220,000 in pledges in three months.
Dignity in Dying was one of the first recipients of a series of grants provided by the Transform Foundation to help third sector organisations use Facebook to increase their fundraising. It received a £5,000 grant to fund a three-month campaign built on two key elements: targeted Facebook outreach to existing supporters and a partnership with the online will-writing service Farewill.
Dignity in Dying had 300,000 Facebook followers before the campaign began so chose to focus on engaging with existing supporters with the activity.  The campaign used Facebook to interact with supporters and to provide them with an offer of a free will from Farewill, which allows donors to make a will in under 15 minutes using an interactive online form.
In three months, the campaign reached 138,000 people and received £220,000 in legacy pledges.
David Pearce, Dignity in Dying Director of Fundraising and Marketing, said:

“Legacy giving has always played a big part in our fundraising efforts but sending someone an information pack and then relying on them to go to a solicitor – and remember you in their will – is a process with a lot of barriers for supporters to overcome.
“Our campaign succeeded because it reached the right people and made it really easy for them to make a will. Our data shows that 3,900 of the Facebook supporters we contacted clicked on our ‘make a will now’ adverts, and 91 of them went on to complete the process.
“Between them they have pledged £220,000. This is a huge sum, and while not yet cash in the bank, it’s an extraordinary return on the £5,000 the Transform Foundation gave us.”

Nick Scott, CEO of the Transform Foundation, added:

“The Transform Foundation was created to help not-for-profit groups unlock the power of digital, enabling them to reach more people, raise more funds and better serve their supporters.
“Our £5000 Facebook grants are part of a series of programmes we run to help more organisations do more good. We’ve worked with a huge range of groups, from pioneering campaign groups like Dignity in Dying to fast-growing charities.”

Transform Foundation is holding an free event tomorrow, 1 May, in Central London and is inviting people to come along to meet the team and learn about the grants it offers.