Legacy fundraising often centres around big moments in the calendar – Remember A Charity Week, Free Wills Month or dedicated campaigns. These are very valuable opportunities, but if we only talk about gifts in wills during these moments, we risk missing many other opportunities to introduce supporters to the idea.
We simply don’t know when someone will decide to update or write their will. It could be prompted by getting married, buying a home, having children or grandchildren, illness or bereavement. Many people revisit their will several times throughout their lives.
That’s why legacy giving works best when it’s part of the wider supporter journey. Regular, relevant communication gives people time to reflect and helps gifts in wills feel familiar and natural, rather than like an unexpected fundraising ask.
Drip feed over hard sell
For us, drip feeding isn’t about asking more often. It’s about creating a culture where gifts in wills are talked about regularly and naturally.
That might be including a gifts in wills bookmark in a welcome pack, featuring a legacy-funded project in a supporter magazine, sharing a supporter story in an e-newsletter or highlighting when a project has been made possible through gifts in wills. Each touchpoint helps build awareness over time.
Not every mention needs to be a direct ask. Often, the aim is simply to show the difference gifts in wills make, celebrate supporters and demonstrate that leaving a gift is another meaningful way to support a charity.
Stories not adverts
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that supporters respond much more strongly to stories than standalone fundraising messages. When our legacy content was simply an advert on the back of our supporter magazine, it felt separate from the rest of the content. It explained gifts in wills but didn’t show why they mattered.
Now, we focus on stories about projects funded by gifts in wills and supporters who have chosen to leave a gift themselves. Instead of leading with the ask, we lead with the impact. Supporters respond to that authenticity.
We recently launched a legacy society to thank supporters who have pledged a gift in their will. It gives members opportunities to receive updates, attend events and feel connected to the charity and the impact they are helping to create.
Everyone’s conversation
Embedding legacy messaging isn’t just about external communications. It requires internal understanding and confidence too.
When I joined the Canal & River Trust five years ago, awareness of gifts in wills across the organisation was relatively low. Building understanding took time, but helping colleagues understand the impact of these gifts has created much stronger support across the charity.
Today, some of our most powerful content comes from colleagues who knew our legators, managed legacy-funded projects or have pledged a gift themselves. Legacy fundraising becomes much stronger when it isn’t owned solely by the legacy team.
Don’t be discouraged by silence
One of the hardest things about a drip-feed approach is that you won’t always see an immediate response.
Someone might read a story today, attend an event next year and decide to update their will further down the line. That doesn’t mean earlier communications weren’t working. They may have helped build the familiarity and trust needed to make that decision.
We’ve found that impact-led content performs particularly well, while legacy events are among the strongest ways to generate enquiries and pledges because supporters can ask questions and hear directly from colleagues.
Start small, stay consistent
The drip feed approach doesn’t require a large budget. A simple mention that your charity is supported by volunteers, donations and gifts in wills can help normalise the conversation, as can stories about supporters and the difference their gifts have made.
My advice for charities wanting to drip feed their legacy communications would be to make legacy messaging feel natural. Integrate it into existing communications through impact stories, supporter experiences and examples of what gifts in wills have made possible.
Help people across the organisation understand why gifts in wills matter and give them the confidence to share stories and identify opportunities to talk about legacy giving.
Consider what will genuinely resonate with the people you’re communicating with. For example, many of our supporters already have a will, so focusing only on writing a first will may not be relevant. Instead, we talk about reviewing or updating an existing will and the difference a gift could make.
Above all, don’t stop the conversation once someone has pledged. Continue sharing stories, demonstrating impact and helping supporters feel part of something meaningful. One couple who recently pledged a gift in their will told us: “As friends of the trust, we get invited to events, we receive the newsletter and the magazine, and it’s really made us feel part of something.”
Legacy fundraising isn’t built on a single campaign or a perfectly timed ask. It is built on trust, consistency and relationships that develop over time. Sometimes the smallest, most regular conversations are the ones that make the biggest difference.
Remember A Charity Week (7-13 September 2026) brings together charities, professional advisers and partners across the UK for a national celebration of the impact of gifts in wills
