There’s a legend in all of us
“We’ve had a legacy pledge this week from someone who picked up information in one of our shops - great result!”
Thanks to our annual Remember A Charity in your Will Week, comments such as this are becoming increasingly familiar.
The charity sector is becoming noisier and braver about legacies. Smaller charities in particular are more openly talking to supporters about the importance of gifts in Wills.
This year’s Remember A Charity Week, 8-14 September, has been my favourite so far. The theme of ‘Living Legends’ has captured the public’s imagination.
An Ironwoman, wing walker and a high diver with a combined age of 245 are perhaps not the most likely heroes of this year’s campaign. But their warm, positive and generous nature arguably shows why Britain is one of the most charitable nations in the world.
Tom Lackey, who has raised more than £1 million for good causes, leads our new Living Legends documentary and his love of life shines through.
”When you’re going to kick the bucket, I think it’s important to help make sure the things you care about live on – family, friends and good causes.
“I never dreamt I’d reach this age and have raised so much money for charity – but I don’t intend on stopping anytime soon.”
Of course, most of us won’t wing walk or finish an Ironman. But the campaign celebrated the legend in all of us.
It called on the nation to find the ‘legend in all of us’, encouraging the public to leave a gift to charity in their Will.
Our advertising campaign ran throughout the UK, including key London underground sites such as this one in King’s Cross. Charities also promoted the campaign to their staff and supporters, using our themed chocolates and popcorn as a call to action to watch the Living Legends in action.
Charities also used the ‘Living Legends’ theme to find their own legendary supporters, such as DajiShiavax, 80, who has been volunteering in Breakthrough’s London office for more than 10 years.
But it wasn’t just charities that got involved. Solicitors, businesses and the Cabinet Office all promoted the week, helping to generate the campaign’s highest web traffic to date.
I believe the success of the week shows three key lessons:
- There’s an appetite for legacy fundraising – among charities, supporters and even charitably-minded businesses
- Charities are most successful when they integrate a simple idea across all their channels, from social media to charity shops
- You never know where your next legacy donor will come from… So make sure all your staff are loud, proud and confident.
Watch the ‘Living Legends’ film at
Rob Cope is director of Remember A Charity, a consortium of 140 UK charities that work together to encourage more people to leave a gift in a Will