For many UK charities, legacies form a valuable and reliable source of general funds, which are a key part of the fundraising portfolio. Today, the legacy market is worth around £4.4 billion per year*, with cash sums averaging over £6,000 and residuary legacies (shares of estates) much higher. At the same time, legacies offer the best return on investment of any form of fundraising, so are very cost effective. This is therefore a significant opportunity that should not be ignored.
While historically the larger charities took the lion’s share, in recent years small and medium sized charities have also been building their legacy incomes. Here we talk to our legacy specialist Wendy Pidgeon about what it takes and how she works with charities to establish or develop a legacy campaign.
22 Years of Experience
Wendy started working in legacy fundraising in 2004, so has a wealth of experience in both legacy administration and marketing gained at a succession of charities, including Arthritis Care, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Havens Hospices and the National Osteoporosis Society, where she grew legacy income by 123% over 5 years.
Since then, she has worked as a consultant to a wide range of charities to set up legacy fundraising from scratch and to refresh existing campaigns. Alongside her experience, Wendy was awarded the Certificate in Charity legacy Administration and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. Today she advises our clients specifically on legacies.
Changing Times
We asked Wendy about what has changed in the world of legacy fundraising. “Charities are increasingly confident today about seeking legacies and there is certainly less internal resistance about asking for them. Leaving a legacy has gradually become more normalised and is seen as just another way for people to give. This is helping to drive both the number of legacies and the growth in the number of charities seeking them. I have also noticed a shift in giving to smaller and local charities, which is often seen as having a bigger impact than giving to the large charities. All the signs are too that the legacy market will continue to grow, as the baby boom generation passes on its wealth. There is certainly more awareness among donors of the legacy opportunity now and we know that more solicitors are also asking people if they wish to leave a legacy to a charity. Although this is tempered by some anxiety among donors about fully providing for their loved ones in the cost of living crisis, the overall picture is still very positive for the future.”
Campaign Planning
So how does Wendy go about helping a charity begin raising legacies? “I start with an initial meeting to gather information and find out about the charity and its work, as well as its support base, legacy history, if any, and to establish why the charity needs legacies now. I look at the organisational structure, its range of audiences, its attitude to legacies and what capacity it will have to implement a strategy. I then help to develop the legacy proposition, often having carried out a supporter survey and run some focus groups to test ideas on a range of stakeholders. Then I develop the legacy strategy, including campaign monitoring via KPIs and I set out how the strategy will be implemented. Every charity is different, so I always seek to vary it to the needs and opportunities of the organisation, including its budget, its people capacity and comms options.”
How does she tailor her approach? “Some charities have very specific needs. At one disability charity I worked with recently, the organisation was very keen for its clients to be centrally involved in the development of the strategy and the proposition, so I worked with a focus group to develop these, ensuring that it was fully user led. On other occasions, I will first draft something myself and test it with supporters to see how it lands and how it can be sharpened. This is invaluable preparatory work that repays itself many times over.”
The Role of the Charity
How can a charity get the most out of a legacy consultant and maximise their input? “Firstly, they need to provide access to all the information required” says Wendy. “We can only work with what we are given, so it is in the charity’s best interest to provide everything we need in terms of information, access to people, answers to questions and so on. Secondly, they must use what we produce for them. It is no help if a legacy plan just sits on the shelf – it must be used! Thirdly, they need to allocate some resource to implementation, so if they don’t have internal capacity, they should ask for help.”
Use of AI
How does Wendy see AI impacting on legacy fundraising. “I have not noticed any major changes yet, though some of the larger charities are using AI to identify their best prospect more effectively. In terms of my own practice, I am finding AI very useful to speed up my work, pull information together and summarise larger volumes of data. However, I do not use it to draft legacy materials, as I feel this is still something for an experienced person, not a machine. Legacy fundraising is about head and heart and AI just does not have the emotional capacity to get that right. So I still write all the materials myself.”
Top Tips for Legacy Success
So with the legacy market predicted to grow to £5 billion by 2030*, what are Wendy’s three top tips? “Mention legacies to supporters frequently and gently and integrate this into all your comms. Secondly, always give legacies as an option when talking to supporters. Finally, remember that legacies are really about helping people to support a cause and make a difference – they are not about death or wills or solicitors! If you get this right, your charity will see success. Of course, it is not a quick fix and some patience is required, but the funds are out there and your charity will see its share in future if you plan for it now.”
For Further Information
If you would like to talk about establishing a legacy campaign or help in refreshing an existing one, please contact us for a free initial chat on 01903 723519 or email our Director Ben Ansell at ben@wgconsulting.co.uk
* Legacy Futures Giving Report 2026