Free resource launches to champion & inspire legacy fundraising

A free resource has launched sharing inspirational legacy campaigns from charities and nonprofits around the world.

The Legacy Showcase – Campaigns We Love! is from Legacy Futures in collaboration with SOFII and the UK’s legacy consortium Remember A Charity. Created to champion legacy fundraising, and inspire and encourage legacy fundraisers in their own work, it aims to provide an online collection that will grow over time.

Commenting on the initiative, Ashley Rowthorn, CEO of the Legacy Futures group, said:

“The legacy market is growing fast with more charities than ever recognising the value of this form of income for a sustainable future. So too, the market is becoming increasingly competitive and legacy campaigns will need to work harder and harder to gain cut through.  With this Legacy Showcase we want to champion great campaigns created by legacy fundraisers all over the world to in turn inspire more creativity and innovation in the future. I hope this collaborative effort will provide an invaluable resource that many legacy fundraisers will turn to for ideas and lessons to inform their own work.”

So far, The Legacy Showcase comprises 18 short videos presented by champions from the field of legacy fundraising. Talking about their favourite legacy campaigns from Belgium and the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, and Australia, they explain why they find their chosen campaign so powerful, innovative and inspirational, and share tips and lessons.

To grow the collection, The Legacy Showcase is calling for fundraisers everywhere to nominate a legacy campaign that they love. Nominations can be made via a button at the top of The Legacy Showcase page.

Champions and their chosen charities appearing in the first batch of videos include:

• Craig Fordham, director of legacies, Macmillan Cancer Support, talking about a ‘beautifully simple’ campaign from Dogs Trust as a lesson in authenticity and real stories.
• Arjen van Ketel, legacy consultant, talks about Nalaten ann cultuur, a Dutch joint legacy campaign from the cultural sector, which this year – its second – will see 50 organisations take part.
• Emma Hazlewood, head of legacy development, National Trust, praises Centrepoint for including beneficiaries in the building of their campaign, resulting in powerful messaging that challenges perceptions and builds strong empathy from the outset.
• Dr Lucy Lowthian, gifts in wills consultant, Legacy Voice, shares her thoughts about using positivity and upbeat energy, citing a Battersea Dogs & Cats Home TV ad as a great example with its ‘life rather than end of life’ messaging.
• Lucinda Frostick, director of Remember a Charity cites a Belgian example from Testament.be that uses sensitive humour to engage audiences during difficult times.

Meredith Niles, Chair of SOFII commented:

“SOFII is thrilled to be working with Legacy Futures on this project, it aligns perfectly with our mission of providing free inspiration for fundraisers, and we know that SOFII readers are always looking for ideas when it comes to developing or improving their legacy programmes. We hope that this evolving collection will spark joy, interest and innovation for legacy fundraisers the world over.”

Lucinda Frostick, Director of Remember A Charity, added:

“One of the things that’s so inspiring about the legacy fundraising community is the willingness to collaborate and share learnings, and that’s surely the best ways we can accelerate growth and innovation in the field. The Legacy Showcase is a hugely positive resource and we’re delighted to support another key project that champions the wonderful world of gifts in Wills.”

The Legacy Showcase collection of videos is created and hosted by Legacy Futures. SOFII will feature The Legacy Showcase on its website and in its email newsletter, sharing with an audience of over 10,000 fundraisers around the world, and Remember A Charity will feature the page on its website’s members’ area.