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Red Cross launches multi-channel legacy campaign

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 23 Oct 2012

The British Red Cross has launched a multi-channel legacy advertising campaign, emphasising its work abroad and in the UK, in an effort to encourage baby-boomers to leave a gift in their will.

Launched yesterday with a television advertisement on ITV1, the campaign will run for six weeks with television, radio, broadsheet, magazine, digital and social media elements.

Jonathan Jacques, legacy marketing manager, told civilsociety.co.uk, that while legacies have remained steady at around one-quarter of the British Red Cross’ net voluntary income, and notifications are stable, demographic changes mean that the charity must engage a new generation. Jacques said that generally a gift in a will is a result of a personal or family connection with a cause, which has benefited the British Red Cross with the present generation of legators.

“For the Red Cross in the UK it was people saying thank you for the care they received in World War II,” he said. “We do recognise that the generation that has come afterwards just don’t have that connection.

“There are lots of charities that need to promote the legacy message… but us more than most.”

While he wouldn't be drawn on the cost of the campaign, Jacques said that: “For the British Red Cross, this is a significant investment.”

The campaign is linked with the charity’s recent branding campaign which emphasises the work done by the British Red Cross within the UK, and which features the tagline ‘refusing to ignore people in crisis’. Jacques said that research done before the launch of the branding campaign – which is re-emphasised by the legacy advertisements – showed that nine out of ten Brits were unaware of the work done by the charity in their own country.

The television advertisement features a man describing what he is leaving to whom in his will, at the end of which he says “In my will I leave a gift to the British Red Cross to help people in crisis, whoever they are in the UK or abroad, with a commitment that they will not be ignored”. It features a montage of familiar clips of British Red Cross work abroad, and also the charity's activities at home.

The advertisement asks people to leave 1 per cent of their estate to the charity, stressing that it can be used for the charity’s work both in the UK and overseas. Jacques said that market research showed that asking for donations of 1 per cent of an estate overcame barriers to consideration, but did not prevent people inclined to give more from doing so.

'Other charities should try this'

Jacques said that, on average, in a residual legacy the British Red Cross is one of seven charities mentioned, and so the campaign to increase consideration and propensity to leave a gift to the Red Cross will benefit the sector more broadly.

“Investing in this for the British Red Cross will benefit us, but the reality is that [legators] are likely to include other charities as well,” he said. “It’s a positive initiative to raise legacies across the sector.

“Other charities should try this,” he said. “It’s a really important message.”

The charity will be monitoring awareness levels, consideration and propensity to give as well as other metrics – such as calls to an inbound line, text messages for more information and web and social media contacts. It is expecting to see a return on investment within three to eight years. 

Directory: British Red Cross