We work with groups of charities to research issues of common interest, enabling them to share costs, information and experiences. These are often rolling programmes which evolve over time, each year building on the findings of the year before.
A collaborative approach that cuts costs, save time and creates opportunities for joint campaigns
New research for our In-Memory Insight programme has revealed that people who have given in memory are three times more likely to make a legacy pledge.
Benchmarking data from 22 member charities shows that supporters with a known in-memory connection are twice as likely to be legacy prospects compared to regular donors giving via direct debit or standing order.
Further to this, surveys covering 4,000 adults revealed that a high proportion of legacy donors (2 in 5) had at least one in-memory gift in their will and that 3 out of 5 in-memory legacies had been preceded by in-memory support of a charity.
The results confirm what we’ve long suspected; just how important remembrance is as a motivation for legacy giving. We hope that this evidence will help make the case for greater, more thoughtful investment in in-memory fundraising throughout the sector.
Request your copy of the public briefing report, ‘Exploring the links between in-memory and legacy giving’, here.
As ever, we are grateful to In-Memory Insight members for allowing us to share these findings.
About In-Memory Insight
In-Memory Insight is an ongoing programme to map, measure and research in-memory giving and fundraising. We work closely with a learning circle of over 50 leading charities who agree to pool their budgets, experiences and data to help build evidence and insight.
Please contact Caroline Waters if you’d like more information.
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Today, 8% of the British population is from a minority faith group, and by 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 16%. As our society becomes ever more multicultural, we need to develop a far greater understanding of the relationship between an individual’s faith and their attitudes towards death, inheritance, remembrance and charitable giving.
We’ve sought to give legacy and in-memory fundraisers a starting place with our new research briefing, Legacy and in-memory fundraising in multicultural Britain, which is available now.
Based on conversations with specialist lawyers, funeral directors, clerics and fundraisers, along with desk research on key social and attitudinal trends, the report examines the potential for legacy and in-memory giving from four religious groups: Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism.
We hope that our research will give fundraisers greater understanding of the intricacies of each group, including the key teachings regarding ‘charity’ and the beliefs, rituals and traditions surrounding death and bereavement.
Request your copy.
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Many of the charitable legacies received today were first written into wills 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. However, as we move further into the 21st century, the will-making landscape will be very different, with significant legal, social, economic and technological changes all making an impact.
Charitable Wills in the 21st Century is our new research project that will explore will-making and charitable legacies both now and into the future. It will provide an in-depth picture of current will-making behaviour, based on detailed consumer surveys and interviews. It will then go on to examine and test out the big picture legal, social, economic and technological trends which will affect charitable will-making over the next 20 years. Finally, it will consider the implications for legacy fundraisers and managers.
The project will provide charity members with:
This is a consortium based research project. If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with Meg Abdy for further information.
The deadline to sign up is 25th November 2019.
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In October we welcomed 70 members of our In-Memory Insight consortium to a lively workshop in central London.
Following client feedback we extended the workshop to a full day, split into two sessions. The morning focussed on what our members have put into place following our 2018 research Exploring the link between in-memory and legacy giving. This session allowed attendees to reflect on the 11 key actions emerging from the research. Members shared innovative ideas under development and key tasks they have already implemented. We were delighted to see so many in-memory fundraising teams now working far more broadly across their organisations and that in-memory giving is being embraced by senior leaders.
The afternoon session switched to focus on our 2019 research project In-Memory Stewardship, giving our members the opportunity to share what they want to achieve from the project, what specific angles they would like us to explore and how we can further learn from each other. We enjoyed lively discussion, the sharing of ideas, challenging assumptions and exploring new thinking throughout the day.
As Tish Ley Legacy and In-Memory Engagement Manager at Guide Dogs put it, “The energy and pace of the day was great. The structure supported thinking and focus. The passion from everyone was heartening.”
Over the next few months we will be developing 8 case studies with member charities, including interviews with their in-memory supporters on the stewardship experience. These will enable us to deepen our learning and develop key insights. Caroline Waters, our Research Programme Manager says “We are really looking forward to the learning from this project. Our workshop buzzed with conversation, contributions and passion from our charity members. We have some great case study volunteers and know we will not only develop new insights for our clients but also help further the growth of in-memory giving in the wider charity sector.“
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We’re pleased to announce that our In-Memory Insight programme 2019-20 has kicked off with 55-member charities, including new joiners RSPB, MS Society, Eden Valley Hospice (Cumbria), St Wilfrid’s Hospice (Eastbourne) and St Gemma’s Hospice (Leeds).
Building on our extensive in-memory giving research, we’re exploring in-memory stewardship this year. Looking at stewardship from the charities’ and the supporters’ perspective could be vital to driving up in-memory income and engagement – and ultimately, securing the value of legacies made in memory of loved ones.
We’ll also be updating the in-memory performance benchmarking, last carried out two years ago. The benchmarking data will allow member charities to measure the funds raised from in-memory donors and the resources invested in in-memory marketing.
Our first Consortium member workshop will take place in October. If you’re interested in updates on this work or would like more information about joining future cycles of In-Memory Insight, please subscribe to our newsletter.
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Legacy and in-memory giving account for at least 20% of all fundraised income. But all too often the assumptions, strategies and messaging underpinning legacy and in-memory fundraising tend to have an English, Christian or secular focus.
Today, 8% of the British population is from minority faith groups, and by 2050, this figure is likely to rise to 16%. As our society becomes ever more multicultural, we need to develop a better understanding of the relationship between an individual’s faith and their attitudes towards these two vital forms of giving.
We’ve sought to give legacy and in-memory fundraisers a starting place with our new research, launched at the Institute of Fundraising Convention 2019.
The research, based on conversations with specialist lawyers, funeral directors, clerics and fundraisers examines the potential for legacy and in-memory giving from four minority faith groups: Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish.
The research will help fundraisers to:
Our Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising in Multicultural Britain Report will be published this summer. To request a copy, please click here.
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In-Memory Insight 2019/20: Understanding in-memory stewardship
Hot off the heels of our latest legacy stewardship research and our work to explore the links between in-memory and legacy giving where we found that many in-memory connections have the power to trigger a legacy, we’re pleased to announce that our next In-Memory Insight programme will focus on exploring in-memory stewardship.
Together with our charity partners, we will be looking at stewardship from the charities’ and the supporters’ perspective. Using the approach and findings of our legacy stewardship research as a framework, we’ll be looking for answers to some big questions, which could be vital to driving up in-memory income and engagement – and ultimately, securing the value of legacies made in memory of loved ones.
In-Memory Insight can help you to:
We work closely with a group of leading charities – over seventy of them in the past six years – who pool budgets, experiences and data to help build evidence and insight. Here’s what some of our clients say about being part of the programme.
Tish Ley, Legacy & In-Memory Engagement Manager at Guide Dogs
We have been part of In-Memory Insight since the very beginning, and it has gone from strength to strength. The consortium offers all the member charities an excellent opportunity to focus on this vital area of fundraising; it provides focus and time, time to talk, time to think time to develop ideas that can be put into practice. Every year the consortia offer something different, guiding charities step by step through key strategic considerations, providing critical research around specific topics to support strategic implementation. The useful benchmarking information can support bids for support internally. I can honestly say a project has never concluded without me taking a clear opportunity or action plan back to my business.
Helen Knowles, Director of Fundraising and Retail Operations, Wakefield Hospice
Wakefield Hospice has been members of the In-Memory Insight learning circle since 2014, being part of this initiative has been most beneficial to our Hospice. The research findings have built up year on year, giving us practical insights into many aspects of in-memory-inspired giving – from events to funeral collections to online – and now legacies.
I’m looking forward to learning about how other charities steward in-memory supporters over time, and how it affects the way those supporters feel and act. I anticipate that this insight and knowledge will once again feed into our In-memory and legacy strategies.
Michael Clark, Gifts in Wills and In-memory Manager, Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Cystic Fibrosis is a life-shortening condition, but through our amazing supporters, we are fighting for a life unlimited. However, those with cystic fibrosis still die too young. Our CF community is at the heart of everything we do, and while we look to improve our offering to a bereaved audience, we have to consider the broader in-memory marketplace. Best practice learnings and research findings form the basis of our strategic plan allowing us to enhance our offering and deliver a tailored, personalised stewardship plan to provide the right support, products, and assistance at a critical time in their lives. In-Memory Insight is crucial to this.
The research has been central to key decisions we have made at the Trust; it also lets us educate and advocate the importance of tailored stewardship internally. Ultimately In-Memory Insight helps us to ensure that our stewardship is the best it can be; our offerings and messaging tailored; and that we truly understand those who are highly motivated but regrettably support us in memory of a loved one.
The research will kick off in July 2019, and new members are invited to join now.
For more information, download the prospectus here or contact Meg Abdy.
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In today’s ever more crowded legacy sector there is a growing emphasis on ‘stewarding’ legacy pledgers and prospects, as a way of converting, retaining and growing the value of bequests from known supporters. However, the tactics used, and the underlying objectives vary significantly from one charity to another. With such a long lag between communications and outcome, evidence on the impact and effectiveness of stewardship activity is inevitably limited.
Alongside 29-member charities, we set out to understand more about legacy stewardship from both the charities’ and the donors’ perspective, using a combination of detailed charity case studies and in-depth supporter interviews.
Here’s just some of what we learned.
Good legacy stewardship is effective
The donor interviews we conducted, as well as feedback from the case study charities, shows that good stewardship can create engaged, loyal legacy donors who feel assured that their gift is needed and will be well spent. They believe that – far from being a ‘waste’ of money – stewardship shows they are valued. Satisfied pledgers and prospects spread their good experiences to family and friends and – with the right support – may become more formal legacy ambassadors.
The best legacy stewardship activities convey magic
The experts we talked to spoke of the importance – and the rarity – of surprising and delighting supporters; ‘conveying magic’ as one put it. Eight members shared some great examples of charities doing just this, including; Cancer Research UK’s regional stewardship programme, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity’s bespoke approach to stewardship, Guide Dogs’ Name a Puppy for Next of Kin and Save the Children UK’s Legacy Ambassadors.
Think creatively about your stewardship assets
Many case study charities offered legacy supporters ‘behind the scenes’ access to unique spaces, people and celebrations. From invites to new ward openings, to meetings with legendary campaigners, or a walk with a Guide Dog puppy, they made those supporters feel special. Every charity can do this if you think laterally about your stewardship assets – the personalities, places and projects which embody the best of them.
Small personal touches go a long way
Beyond the magic, personal connection is key. This doesn’t have to be big or expensive; authentic small communications, such as personalised cards or tokens of thanks can make the donor feel appreciated and involved. In particular, having a named person to contact seems to make all the difference, providing a conduit into the charity itself.
We can share six more things we’ve learnt as part of this work in our ‘Understanding Legacy Stewardship’ briefing, with thanks to our member charities. Request a copy here.
Where next for legacy stewardship?
Legacy Foresight Associate Christine Reidy, has written our April Viewpoint. She looks at how to best deliver effective stewardship at your charity, specifically looking at the skillset and organisational commitment required to make it a success.
The next biennial Legacy Marketing Benchmarking Project, which kicks off in autumn 2019, will provide another opportunity to deepen our collective understanding of legacy stewardship. This research has highlighted additional measures to include in the analysis, and ways to make previous benchmarks more insightful. The Legacy Marketing Benchmark proposals will be published in Spring 2019; to request a copy contact Meg Abdy.
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