You have donors who care an incredible amount about the work your organization does.
They’re passionate. They’re engaged. They love what you do.
Many of them would consider a gift as part of their personal legacy if you ask. But we need to ask.
Why?
For the same reason we need to reach out to people about annual giving, and monthly giving, and major giving—we need donors to support our cause’s work in the world. And they are far less likely to give if they are not asked.
In fact, one of the top reasons people say they haven’t made a charitable gift in their Will is—because it simply never occurred to them at the time!
Unfortunately, for more good causes than I care to think about, asking about a legacy gift is viewed as one of the most difficult fundraising requests.
It doesn’t have to be though. There are many ways to approach people and get them to consider a gift in their Will.
But first, perhaps you (or your board or your finance team) are not even fully convinced a legacy giving program is a worthwhile investment for your organization.
So, let’s start by making the case for why we should reach out to supporters about making a legacy gift.
The case for legacy giving
The short answer? Sustainable revenue + more committed donors.
The longer answer? Legacy giving has the highest return on investment of any fundraising type and an estimated $1 Trillion (with a T!) is changing hands in Canada during the current intergenerational wealth transfer. You definitely want to be encouraging supporters to consider your organization in their legacy plans.
But in addition to “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”, there are many more good reasons to reach out to people about legacy giving.
Legacy giving is good for:
With all of these good reasons for having a legacy giving program, why don’t more organizations take the plunge and talk to their supporters about legacy giving? Simply put, people often feel they are not ready—because they don’t have the necessary background, training, or expertise—to start talking to donors about legacy giving.
But you can start simply whether you’re building from the ground up, or are humming along with a full-fledged program.
If you’re looking for a reason to focus more of your attention on securing legacy gifts, Aimée Lindenberger’s second book in her Legacy Essentials series—How to Engage Potential Legacy Donors: Your Guide to Legacy Lead Generation—details what your fundraising potential may be. Aimée’s first book, How to Talk About Legacy Giving, is a detailed dive on crafting your legacy messaging. By both and save $8 with discount code LEGACY2 !
