Legacy giving continues to grow in the UK and accounts for around of 10% of giving from individuals. Most gifts are left to very large charities, perhaps because traditionally legacy marketing has been seen as expensive and hard to measure. The digital age we live in has removed some of those barriers, which means there is no better return for you charities marketing pound than investing in digital legacy fundraising.

Death is not a taboo (it will happen to you)

The first rule of legacy fundraising is to emphasise the value of gifts in Wills to your organisation. You’re not going to do this if you focus on barriers like the notion that ‘death is a taboo subject’. Death is no taboo – it’s an important part of life worthy of our attention.

Of course, death is not always an easy subject, but planning for your death can give you peace of mind, and leaving a gift in your Will can be a very positive experience. Why wouldn’t you want to offer that to your supporters?

Will writing is not just for older people

Life events trigger Will writing, like getting married, having kids, or even getting divorced. Those are not things that only older people do.

There are other reasons you may want to focus your legacy marketing on older people, but the good news is that older people are all over Facebook – there will be 6.4 million 55 to 65-year-old-plus regular Facebook users this year.

Many of those will be interested in causes. Just look at Dignity in Dying’s audience – the most engagement is coming from people over 55. Facebook can be a great place to start your legacy marketing. I also recommend making it a regular part of any email marketing programme.

New tech can reduce barriers

Currently, 40% of people will die without a Will, many putting it off to a later date. But this could lead to significant legal costs and a lot of stress for the family left behind without clear direction.  

Anything we can do to break down barriers to Will writing could have a positive impact on legacy giving. New startups entering this space, such as Farewill, now mean that you can make a Will online in minutes, and for significantly cheaper than with a solicitor.

There are opportunities to help you start testing this out at no cost, too. If you’re confident in your ability to reach your audience on Facebook, you can get a grant to support your digital legacy marketing from the Transform Foundation. This introduces the possibility of small charities offering free digital Wills to their supporters. It’s a great way to make them feel valued.

Start now, measure, do it all over again

Digital legacy marketing is low barrier to entry, and much more measurable than the traditional approach, so with just a little effort, you can kick-start your legacy marketing programme. Send one email or test a small Facebook campaign, then iterate your approach from there. What are you waiting for?