Legacy Foresight is a research programme, funded by charity consortia. The programme aims to understand and predict the drivers of legacy income, both for individual charities and for the voluntary sector overall.

Legacy income is a vital element of the voluntary sector economy, worth an estimated £1.9bn a year to charities. Legacies represent around 6% of all income received by charities; while for the largest charities (with over £10m income), they contribute over 10%.(Source: NCVO)

Legacy Foresight was founded in 1994, when a consortium of thirteen large legacy charities commissioned us to produce a 20-year outlook for the legacy market, taking into account a wide range of economic, social and structural trends. The research findings triggered considerable debate - both in the voluntary sector and beyond. Our original consortium members went on to set up the Legacy Marketing Campaign, now called Remember A Charity.

Today, Legacy Foresight works with some 50 clients, including fourteen of the top twenty fundraising charities. We analyse the state of the legacies market, produce market forecasts, and research into legator motivations.

We work closely with colleagues at Remember A Charity, the Institute of Legacy Management and Clearwater to promote the concept of legacy giving, and the principles of effective legacy management.