Academic insights into legacy giving

Academic insights into legacy giving

If you don’t follow her already, Dr Claire Routley is a leading voice in the legacy world having been involved in the sector for nearly 20 years.

Approaching things from as much as the academic point of view as the functional one, Dr Claire recently shared details of a brand-new research article that caught my eye.

Academic research in fundraising, and particularly into gifts in wills, has been underserved compared to other sectors.

This is why it’s encouraging to see more happening in this space - and this article is the result of two academics pouring back through 25 years of documents.

The full length piece is certainly not for the faint-hearted, but there are some key headlines and themes:

1. Influencing decision-making: exploring the various factors that influence donors when making decisions about leaving legacies, shedding light on the (oftentimes very complex) motivations behind these gifts.

2. Delving into the motivations that drive individuals to include charitable gifts in their wills; whilst providing insights into the underlying values, personal experiences, and altruistic desires that shape their decisions.

3. How age and personal connections play a role in shaping intentions to leave legacies, highlighting the influence of generational perspectives and the significance of emotional bonds with charitable causes.

4. Inheritance size <> likelihood of gift: exploring the relationship between the size of an individual's inheritance and the likelihood of them including a gift in their will, demonstrating how financial considerations and estate planning play a crucial role.

5. The research emphasises the role of donor education and awareness in terms of increasing the likelihood of a pledge. This highlights the importance of providing information and resources to potential pledgers to facilitate informed decision-making.

Some of these headlines won’t be entirely surprising, given how and where so many legacy fundraisers focus their efforts.

But, as the piece flags, there has been:

  • A lack of focus on the charities themselves (CF ‘start with why’ by Simon Sinek)
  • Not enough research into this space
  • Therefore not enough understanding of this increasingly-important area of income

TL; DR? 

We need to keep talking about, researching, and furthering the case for investment into these amazing gifts.

Otherwise in 25 years time we’ll still be sitting here saying “Well it’s a niche area of fundraising...

Don’t forget, Dr Claire is speaking at the upcoming Masterclass event on June 22nd, focused on increasing the value of gifts left.


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