Commonly-held beliefs about legacy gift fundraising result in little or no integration of legacy giving into the organization’s overarching fundraising strategy and missed opportunities to engage supporters in legacy giving.

Here are seven misconceptions and what you need to know to dispel them:

1. If donors make a legacy gift, they will stop giving today.
Studies support the opposite conclusion: if annual donors make a legacy gift, they do not stop giving. In fact, they will increase their annual gift.

2. We’re cultivating this donor for a major gift, not a legacy gift.
Most legacy gift prospects are not major gift prospects. Having said that, we should talk about a
legacy gift with our major gift prospects. It gives them another way (through a blended gift) to support our cause. It enhances our relationship with them.

3. We need money now.
Yes, and that’s why we should have started a legacy giving program ten years ago! But let’s start today so our cause will benefit ten years from now. And did you know? Legacy giving increases donor
engagement in current activities. Legacy prospects and donors often increase their annual gift.

4. You don’t ask for a legacy gift. It’s too personal. It’s rude.
Yes, you do! “If you don’t ask, you don’t get” applies to legacy giving. Who are we to withhold this opportunity from donors and volunteers to advance the work of Our Cause, the mission they care about? Let’s include “Would you consider a future gift to Our Cause by creating a gift in your Will?” in all our conversations with supporters.

5.You need to understand complex technical tax and estate planning.
No, you don’t. We need to listen and engage. We need to be fluent in our mission and vision, and we need to leave the tax planning conversations to the professionals.

6. You need to talk about death. And that’s awkward.
Legacy gift conversations are about life, not death. We talk about what the donor values and what beliefs have guided them through their life.

7. Our supporters are too young.
They are young – but it’s never too early to plant the seeds for a legacy gift. Eventually, our young supporters will have a life event that prompts them to draft a Will, and we’ll be top of mind if they consider a charitable gift in their Will. Once someone has included a charitable gift in their Will, they are less likely to remove it or replace it with a gift to another charity the next time they update their Will.

Excerpt from Chapter 12, Legacy Giving in the Expanded Second Edition of “Excellence in Fundraising in Canada, Volume 1.”

Jane Westheuser, CFRE has worked in the philanthropic sector for over 30 years. As an active member and former Chair of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners Greater Vancouver Chapter, Jane is committed to promoting the role of legacy giving in the community.