Legacy fundraising is as much about inspiration as any other fundraising mechanism, says Daniel Fletcher.

I attended the preview of Remember a Charity’s 'Legacies through a Lens' exhibition on Tuesday night at the gallery@oxo to mark Remember a Charity Week. 

It was a surprisingly moving and positive event. I don’t think I’ve ever been at such an occasion, celebrating both the work of charities and the impact of legacies. All around the gallery were poignant, entertaining or illuminating photographs of the work of different organisations from the St Barnabas Society to Cancer Research UK, RNLI to the Theodora Children’s Trust.

Legacy fundraising can sometimes be perceived as a dull process of dealing with legal matters and trying to mention gifts in wills without alluding to the fact that people have to die before the gifts are realised.

Remember a Charity and this exhibition in particular reinforce the fact that while legacy fundraising depends on the process of writing a will; it is much more about inspiration, giving, joy, and hope. Stephen George, chair of Remember a Charity, used the phrase in his speech, coined from Born Free’s Virginia McKenna that legacies are about "feet on the ground, soul in the sky". This aptly described what leaving a gift to charity in your will is all about.

This sentiment has been reinforced to me during my first few weeks in a new role at St John’s Hospice, the hospice for central London. It has been a privilege to meet volunteers who have pledged legacies and to discover that their motivation is matter of fact in their acknowledgement of their own mortality, but primarily driven by their view of the ‘marvellous care staff’ and the excellent work they do.

I’ve also spoken with donors who have given in memory of recently-deceased loved ones. They have not been able to contain their wish to give to charity. Their feet are on the ground in the ways they want to give, and their soul is in the sky in their desire to leave a lasting legacy for St John’s Hospice. It’s good to have these reminder as we devise ways to raise money.