Why Every Charity Needs a Gift in Wills Programme
If you're a fundraiser, you already know legacy giving matters. You've seen the stats. You've nodded along at a workshop. And somewhere on your to do list sits the quiet thought, "I really should start a gift in wills programme."
Then the next campaign lands, the board papers are due, and legacy giving slides down the list again.
You're not alone. Many fundraisers are stretched across multiple roles, with limited time, limited budget, and limited bequest expertise on the team. Underneath it all sits the worry that you'll say the wrong thing to a loyal supporter.
Good news. You don't need to be a Wills expert, blow the budget, or overhaul your fundraising plan. You just need to open the door and make it easy for supporters to walk through.
What Is Legacy Giving?
Legacy giving, or bequest giving, is when a supporter leaves a gift to a charity in their Will. It might be a percentage of their estate, a fixed sum, or a specific asset.
For supporters, it's a quiet way to keep backing the cause they love. For your charity, legacy gifts often arrive unrestricted, which means you can put them where they're needed most.
Why Every Charity Needs a Gift in Wills Programme
It futureproofs your funding. Annual giving keeps the lights on. Legacy giving keeps the doors open in ten, twenty, thirty years. It's one of the clearest answers you can give a board asking for a long-term sustainability plan.
Smaller charities have the most to gain. A single bequest can fund a year of programme delivery or carry you through a tough funding cycle. If you're running lean, legacy income creates breathing room.
Your supporters want you to ask. Fundraisers who have these conversations consistently report that loyal supporters feel honoured to be asked, not pressured. Not asking is what costs you the gift, not the ask itself.
It deepens loyal relationships. A legacy conversation says, "I know you care, and I trust you enough to talk about what comes next." That strengthens the relationship whether or not a gift is ever confirmed.
Without a programme, the gifts go elsewhere. Some of your supporters will leave a charitable gift in their Will. The only question is whether it goes to you or to another charity that made it easy.
It doesn't have to be another initiative. A Gift in Wills programme isn't a new campaign to manage. It's a gentle layer you add to the work you already do.
Why Simplicity Is the Whole Strategy
The biggest barrier to legacy giving isn't unwillingness. It's uncertainty, on both sides.
Supporters aren't sure how to include a gift, or whether a small amount is worth it. Fundraisers worry about tone, wording, and overstepping. Uncertainty on both sides equals inaction on both sides.
Give people clear information, permission to ask questions, and an easy next step. That's the programme.
How to Start a Gift in Wills Programme
Create a simple legacy page. Plain language. Cover what Gift in Wills is, the types of gifts supporters can leave, and common questions.
Make asking easy. A named contact, a low-pressure enquiry form, or a coffee chat invitation. Most supporters test the waters quietly, so give them a gentle way to do it.
Share stories that show impact. One short piece in your newsletter about how a past bequest funded real work makes the idea land.
Talk about it more often than feels natural. A line in thank you emails. A paragraph in your annual report. A mention at supporter events. Repetition normalises the conversation.
Choose a platform that does the heavy lifting. There are a variety of platforms you could work with, consider one that aligns to your brand and purpose. Footprint offers more than just the Will, they offer to sight the signed copy to confirm it has been signed correctly, secure storage of the original Will, and registration on the New Zealand Wills Registry. For supporters, Footprint asks upfront questions to identify that an online Will suits their needs and supports them in providing options if it doesn’t. Footprint offers additional discounts on Enduring Powers of Attorney too.
Start early and talk often. Most legacy gifts start as a seed years before they become a pledge. The earlier you introduce the idea, the more time supporters have to sit with it.
You Don't Have to Be an Expert. You Just Have to Start.
Every charity benefits from a Gift in Wills programme. Team size doesn't matter. Budget doesn't matter. What matters is giving supporters a clear, warm, easy path to include you in their story.
Footprint works alongside charities and their supporters to make legacy giving feel approachable. If you're ready to strengthen your legacy fundraising or just want to stop feeling like it's the thing you never quite get to, our team is here to help.
Book a demo today to learn more.
