I've been struck this week by two developments about the way we view our mortality and our money.
On Tuesday, The King's Fund published a report on the future of social care funding - a current political hot potato. Securing good care for more people updates the review of social care led by Sir Derek Wanless and published by the Fund in 2006.
New research carried out for the report shows the cost of the current system is set to double over the next 15 years, with no improvement in outcomes. In contrast, the reforms proposed by the Fund would halve unmet need by significantly increasing the amount of care people receive and see around 50 per cent more people helped than under the current system.
The underlying theme though is that it's all going to cost more, and we're the ones who will pay, in taxes or co-payments. There will then be less to go round in legacies and gifts to charities from the elderly and those in need of social care.
The other news this week is that it is 'Dying Matters' week. Dying Matters is a coalition of many groups set up by the National Council of Palliative Care, working to normalise talking about dying and making preparations for the inevitable. A recent survey by Dying Matters found that 20 per cent of over-75s thought death was “a long way off”. The survey also found that 18-year-olds were more comfortable discussing their mortality than 40-somethings, so there is clearly some way to go.
These are all useful insights for legacy fundraising, as preparing a will and including a legacy in it precludes some notion that these preparations are relevant. Another interesting factor is the way Dying Matters is segmenting its audience. Not unsurprisingly the 55-to-75s are a key audience. But another key audience type is GPs.
After family and friends, people are most likely to discuss the end of their life with their doctors. Perhaps they could also be targets for legacy marketers and the Remember a Charity campaign. Although, a survey by the King’s Fund last November did find that more than two-thirds of GPs hadn’t discussed the type of care they themselves would like at the end of their lives with their own doctor, family or friends.
Persuading people to give to charity through their will is never straightforward. These insights do at least help to understand how difficult the choices might be, and what messages we need to focus on or direct.
