I’ll never forget reading those poll results way back in 2004. If there was one pivotal moment in my career in philanthropy, that was it!

My Good Works partners and I had polled Canadian direct mail donors to probe their willingness to leave charitable gifts in their wills – and found that the Canadian legacy gift market was WAY bigger than anyone had anticipated up to that point.

From that moment on, my biggest single professional goal was to persuade annual giving fundraisers to see the incredible legacy gift potential among their $50 and $100 donors.

Early Lessons

In those early days, we figured some important concepts that led us to write the book ‘Iceberg Philanthropy’. In essence, we argued that:

• Millions of middle-class Canadians have the potential to make charitable bequests. Legacy giving didn’t have to be just for the rich! (These unnoticed Canadians were the 95% of the ‘legacy iceberg’ that lie beneath the water’s surface.
• Donors didn’t want their favourite charities to ‘teach’ them how to do financial planning. They want to hear about your mission, your goals and your progress toward reaching those goals. As one donor said in a focus group I moderated, “I don’t want instruction. I want inspiration!”
• Annual giving donors also told us that they don’t want to learn about ‘planned giving vehicles’ like charitable remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities. On the other hand, these donors were familiar with bequests – and thought that gifts in wills were a good idea.
• We also learned over time that legacy donors (like most other donors) are motivated to give by an emotional trigger. Once the heart wants to help, the brain will take care of the rest. And, we already knew from our direct response work that the best way to trigger an emotional response is to tell a good story. (And thank you Russell James at Texas Tech University for showing us that the most powerful legacy ambassadors you have available are living donors who share their own personal stories.)

My Personal Journey

Since those early days of our involvement in legacy fundraising, I’ve gone from middle age to senior citizen status. Now that I’m well into my sixties, I have a different outlook on legacy giving based on my own life’s journey. In fact, I would say that I’m your poster child for what a legacy gift prospect or donor looks like in 2024.

Here then, are some of my personal viewpoints on legacy giving – based as much on my experience as a donor as my experience as a fundraiser:

• Legacy gifts are driven by a desire to ‘leave a footprint on the world’ that will last long after we’re gone. These footprints are important evidence that our lives were well lived and that we made our mark in support of others.
• Somewhere around age 60, we come to truly accept our own mortality. With that acceptance comes and openness to talk about things like life, death and legacy. The challenge is that fundraisers in their thirties and forties often feel very uncomfortable going there!
• As we get older, we don’t fear death so much as we fear being forgotten. I appreciate this now in a way that I couldn’t have imagined twenty years ago. My seven-year-old granddaughter Audrey lives in Vancouver and I only get to see her two or three times a year. But I’m always VERY mindful of creating memories whenever we’re together. I want very much for her to tell her own kids (if she has them) about her Papa and all the great times she had with him. Somehow, the idea of stories being told about me after I’m gone feels very comforting and satisfying to me. Legacy gifts are another way that people can ensure that they’ll be remembered after they’re gone.
• I’ve also learned firsthand that the legacy gift journey takes awhile for a lot of people. Let me share my own confession with you now. I wrote ‘Iceberg Philanthropy’ 17 years ago – and by the time the book was finished, I knew that I had to make my own bequest. Despite my good intentions, the months – and years – just drifted by like a lazy river. It was only when we moved to Quebec and were doing our real estate transaction that I asked my Notary if she would update my will. That’s when I FINALLY got it done!
• When the time came for me to decide who I’d leave my legacy gift to, I learned another lesson. I made my bequest to the addiction treatment program at The Ottawa Mission. I did this because of my own personal experience with addiction. As a recovered alcoholic, I’ve been to my own version of hell – and somehow managed to come out the other end of that very dark tunnel. Addiction hits me close to home, the way cancer or dementia or family violence does to others. I would encourage you to give your donors every opportunity to share with you whether they have had a personal experience with your cause. Those who say they have are more to be good legacy gift prospects.

Where Else Would You Want to Be?

After 28 years, I’m getting ready to step down as a Good Works partner on Labour Day. And as I wind it down as a Good Worker, I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to be a part of the legacy fundraising world.

I am – as I’ve always been – very motivated by the idea that we can help ‘everyday donors’ make that one big philanthropic gift that really moves the needle. Millions of middle-class donors can’t give tens of thousands of dollars this year to the causes they care deeply about. But in their wills, they can give like millionaires and feel great about it.

Legacy fundraising is beautiful and noble work. I’m fortunate to be a part of it – and so are you! So as I step back, I encourage you to take the torch and keep advancing the cause of legacy giving. You’ll be richly rewarded when you do!