Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising conference 2025

Sinem Bilen Onabanjo, Oxfam

 Our Opening Plenary Speaker for the upcoming Legacy & In-Memory Conference is Gerald Richards

A note from Gerald:

“I am very honoured and excited to be giving the opening plenary at the CIOF Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising Conference in November. I’ll be talking about the importance of storytelling in fundraising, especially legacy fundraising. I’m looking forward to being in a room with so many fundraisers again. And if you know me there will either be a story about me and my grandmother or a film analogy thrown in. Maybe both!”

A little more about Gerald: Gerald Richards is the Co-Founder and Director of B & G Partners, a consultancy that believes individuals and organisations flourish best by being creative, clear about their purpose and by telling a better story about what they do. Since 2019, B&G has supported more than 7000 charities and CICs across many fields including arts and culture, heritage, education, DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) and youth development. B & G aims to inspire their clients with confidence and the capacity to learn, grow and take on change. Through direct support to organisations as well as a range of workshops, bespoke training programmes, and individual coaching, B&G helps clients create a strong present and a brighter future for the communities they serve.

With more than 30 years of experience in leadership and management of third sector organisations, his nonprofit career includes executive positions at national and local charities in the US. Most recently (2018-2023), Gerald was the founding CEO of the Super Power Agency, a Scottish nonprofit focused on youth writing and creative expression. During his tenure, the organisation worked with more than 5,000 primary and high school aged young people in twenty-five schools across Scotland. From 2010 - 2017, Gerald was the Chief Executive Officer of 826 National, where he led the strategic direction, administration and building of resources for the network of affiliate organisations located in nine US cities, as well the establishment of affiliates in additional US and international cities. Gerald currently serves on the boards of the National Theatre of Scotland, the Edinburgh City of Literature and The Fagus Anstruther Memorial Trust.

This session helps organisations overcome common legacy fundraising barriers—from feeling overwhelmed by gifts-in-wills complexities to approaching this sensitive topic, by providing actionable steps to launch a heart-winning legacy programme that authentically connects supporters to your cause, even without dedicated specialists or extensive resources.
Nova Fundraising will be sharing some top tips and practical ideas, having helped many charities launch their own legacy fundraising programmes (often from scratch). They’ll be joined by Jo Hunt from SeeSaw charity, who will be sharing her journey of implementing legacy fundraising with real examples and lessons learnt.

Emma-Louise Singh & Emma Low, Nova Fundraising & Associates Ltd,

Jo Hunt, Seesaw

When you’re a top ten legacy charity, it’s easy to assume that it’s because they’ve invested lots in marketing and have a large team to get there. 
In this session, we hear from a charity with a different challenge. Cash is king. Organic legacy income is high, but the new challenge comes from the growing competition in the legacy marketplace. How do you retain or grow your legacy market share with a very small team, and create a best-practice all-channel legacy programme fast to catch up? How do you navigate the internal headwinds to drive success fast? 
Takeaways will be aimed at charities of all sizes and include the process: Creative proposition, cold channel mix, creative development and rollout, warm channel strategy, stewardship and conversion learnings and still to dos.. 
There will be a key focus on partnering both internally and externally, and stakeholder management to best navigate the barriers and supports that lead to success.

Lorna McPherson-Reed, Salvation Army  

Hannah Wallis/Emma Wales, WPNC

Story telling is a well-recognised, powerful tool in fundraising, especially so for in-memory giving. Supporter stories can significantly enhance your marketing, stewardship, and internal engagement.
In this inspiring session, Emily and Nancy from Legacy Futures’ In-Memory team will explore what makes storytelling so powerful, and look at the most effective ways to capture and incorporate in-memory stories into your communications. Emily and Nancy will share some of their favourite in-memory supporter stories, highlighting what makes them examples of best practice. 
You’ll leave this session with practical tips to help you gather and share authentic in-memory stories with confidence.

Nancy Everson & Emily Grint, Legacy Futures

Find out how the in-memory team at Alzheimer’s Research UK got organisational buy-in from the top to the bottom of the charity when we developed and launched our new in memory strategy and proposition: Remember Well. We’ll cover:
-    how we got the senior leadership team to support and be involved in the very start of the process;
-    how we used insight to demonstrate the value of tailored in memory stewardship to teams across the charity; 
-    how we balanced this with existing gifts in Wills internal engagement; 
-    and just why we ended up challenging colleagues to pin the moustache on Lionel Ritchie. 
With a little bit of silliness, a little bit of seriousness, and quite a lot of cake, this is how we got the whole charity not only on board, but excited about in memory giving.

Emma Bates & Matt Smith, Alzheimers Research UK

Legacy gifts aren’t just financial transactions. They are deeply personal decisions that come from a place of trust and connection. 
Using prospect research to understand capacity, affinity, proximity and philanthropic engagement can help drive your legacy programme.  Research can help you understand who your supporters are, what drives their giving and who might be best placed to leave you a legacy.
During this session, we shall look at the facts and figures of wealth and philanthropy in the UK and how this can be used to identify who amongst your supporters are key potential legators. We will use researched wealth indicators to explore capacity and give practical tips for researching your supporters with legacy donations in mind.

Kerry Rock, Prospecting for Gold

Over the last two decades, digital memorials have transformed how people grieve, remember, and give in memory. This session explores how tribute pages have shifted the way individuals mourn, share memories and engage with causes important to them. Drawing on insights and real-life examples, we’ll show how tribute pages help to create lasting relationships with in-memory motivated supporters, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how they can leverage online memorials to both support bereaved families and enhance their legacy fundraising efforts, ensuring a lasting connection between the charity, the family and the memory of their loved one.

Jackie Parnell & Sally Swann, Much Loved

In-memory giving isn’t just growing—it’s evolving. As the line between digital and emotional engagement becomes ever more blurred, charities need to rethink how they honour memories, capture motivations and create meaningful donor journeys.
In this session, Vicky Reeves shares real-world insights and live examples from leading charities using digital products to inspire in-memory giving. From low-commitment lead generation tools like dedication walls, to immersive virtual memorials and high-impact tribute funds; Vicky will explore how the right product strategy, matched to your audience and mission, can help you reach new supporters and nurture long-term value.
Vicky will also take a look at design and UX considerations; including straightforward engagement approaches that don’t overwhelm the user and personalisation that truly resonates. She will also touch on what the numbers tell us… that emotional connection fuels generosity, and that well-designed digital experiences make those connections possible.
Whether you're just starting to develop your online in-memory offer or want to optimise what you already have, this session will provide practical guidance and inspiration to shape your next steps with confidence.

Vicky Reeves, goDonate

The session will cover best practice and ideas for hosting legacy events, both acquisition and pledger events. This session will discuss both of these from the perspective of a loved in life charity (i.e. a charity that a supporter usually has a close personal or values driven connection to) and how to create joy/jeopardy and urgency to support vs how to plan and position your event when you are an end of life/health charity, and you will naturally have that already. 
Perhaps the more difficult aspect for healthcare or end of life charities is knowing when to make a legacy ask (of next of kin), how to cultivate in memory supporters and where to host an event if there is no suitable 'in house' venue, which the session will delve into.

Christine Devlin, National Trust Scotland

In March 2024, St Luke’s Hospice, Sheffield, launched a highly successful Legacy Campaign designed to connect with the city’s people in a new way. Traditionally, legacy giving has been closely tied to personal experiences of hospice care or in-memory giving. Our campaign set out to shift that narrative: to build a sense of affiliation with St Luke’s among those who may not have had direct contact with our services, but who recognise the Hospice’s vital role in the life of the city.
Positioning St Luke’s as an integral part of Sheffield’s identity, we framed legacy giving as a way for people to not only celebrate their love of Sheffield but also to ensure the Hospice can continue to be “here for Sheffield” for generations to come. By tapping into the pride of ‘Sheffielders’, community identity, and emotional connection to place, we broadened the reach of our message and invited new audiences into the conversation.

Joasia Lesniak, St Luke's Hospice Sheffield

Evidence is mounting that there is an important link between brand strength and legacy giving. And, at the same time, legacy and brand teams share similar challenges around short-termism, understanding and measurement. 
In this session, we will briefly present the evidence about the link between legacy and brand, before handing over to our panel to discuss topics such as how the two teams can work effectively together, make the most of the connection and address shared challenges.

Dr Claire Routley, Legacy Futures

As legacy giving continues to grow in importance for UK charities, understanding the wider legacy landscape has never been more important. In this session, Lucinda and Matthew will unpack the latest policy developments influencing legacies, including:
Fiscal incentives and how evolving tax policies may influence donor behaviour.
The challenges of making pension wealth taxable and what that could mean for legacy income.
An overview of key changes to legacy clauses in the new Code of Fundraising Practice (effective from 1 November 2025).
A brief look at the Wills Act, exploring the implications for legacy practitioners.
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the evolving regulatory landscape and practical steps for compliance, helping them plan ahead and strengthen their legacy programmes.

Lucinda Frostick, Remember A Charity 

Matthew Lagden, Institute of Legacy Management