New campaign from The Salvation Army aims to boost legacies to all charities
Melanie May | 27 September 2024 | News
The Salvation Army is taking a different approach with its latest legacy fundraising campaign – encouraging people to consider leaving a gift in their Will to a charity of their choice.
The integrated campaign aims to boost gifts in Wills for both The Salvation Army, and other charities, with research showing that most charitable Wills to The Salvation Army also include five or more additional good causes.
Devised by integrated marketing agency WPNC, the ‘My lasting good deed’ campaign targets people who are considering leaving a legacy gift. It offers a free Will guide that shows people how to leave a gift to any charity, as well as showing them the difference a legacy could make to The Salvation Army.
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An ad is running on TV channels, supported with a personalised mailing to warm prospects; inserts in publications best suited to a donor profile identified through data analysis; and digital ads encouraging people to download the free guide.
All communications include the charity’s new legacy proposition, ‘Your legacy, our promise’ which was developed by WPNC after research. This reflects both the promise made by Salvation Army officers to support people in the greatest need, and the promise to use legacies respectfully, where they will have the biggest impact.
The charity hopes the campaign will increase the number of supporters considering a gift in their Will to help its work with the most marginalised and vulnerable, while also having the halo effect of highlighting the importance of legacy funds to the whole charity sector.
Lorna McPherson-Reed, Head of Legacy Fundraising at The Salvation Army, said:
“With more charities than ever investing in legacies, it’s getting much harder for new campaigns to be heard. We needed a concept that resonated with our target audience while reflecting our brand values.
“This campaign builds on recent work to lay strong foundations, to ensure we are in the best position to maximise this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Learnings will inform future legacy fundraising strategy and ensure we can continue putting our faith into action, transforming the lives of the most vulnerable across the UK.”
Emma Wales, Group Account Director, WPNC, added:
“Supporter research shows this campaign concept has a positive impact on people who are likely to support The Salvation Army. But it also makes them feel more positive about the charity in general: because of its Christian values, it’s seen as a ‘charitable charity’. All campaign formats feature information about The Salvation Army’s important work.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.