Dr Claire Routley

Seminar: A practical guide to growing high-value gifts in wills

Data tells us that large gifts are extremely important to total legacy income: in the UK, for example, gifts from estates worth over £500,000 make up 60% of legacy income, and whilst only 2% of gifts are worth more than £250,000, they make up more than 30% of income. With wealth becoming more concentrated over time, this trend is only likely to grow.

In this session, we will explore high-value gifts in wills, considering who gives larger gifts, and what their specific motivations might be. We’ll then talk about what this is likely to mean in practice for legacy fundraising, thinking about the implications both for how we communicate with these generous donors, and how we work most effectively with our colleagues.

This session is likely to be most useful for those people who have some responsibility for, and experience with, gifts in wills fundraising. The learning outcomes will include:
– Recognising the importance of high-value gifts in wills
– Understanding high-value gifts in wills supporters
– Working internally and externally to maximise high-value gifts in wills income.

About Dr Claire Routley
Dr Claire Routley has worked in fundraising for twenty years, for charities large and small. In 2011, she completed a PhD looking at why people choose to leave charitable legacies. She is now a fundraising consultant at Legacy Voice, and a tutor for the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s qualification courses. She is also a member of Rogare’s international advisory panel. She continues with legacy fundraising research and was named AFP’s emerging scholar 2017.