We know that the cost of (almost) every service or product is on the rise - we can’t get away from that. But not everyone is affected by inflation in the same way. In view of that can you be sure that all your supporters are worried about the rising living expenses?
In September of this year, I met around 100 older donors across 2 events hosted by one of my charity clients.
Conversations amongst the supporters naturally swayed towards living costs.
Interestingly, there were many who didn’t think the rate of inflation would affect them or their charitable giving. There was talk of not bookings holidays to “see how things pan out” but they also viewed a UK or overseas trip as a luxury that they could forego.
This got me thinking, are we simply treating all supporters the same? When actually we know they are individuals with their own unique circumstances.
So how will you know what your supporters are feeling about living costs? I suggest asking them- my preferred methods are telephone and face to face.
Having run successful legacy telephone campaigns since 2012 and trained many fundraisers to have these conversations, the telephone enables you to connect with supporters and have confident conversations about legacies. Providing you approach it right.
Your natural opener to the call would be to thank them for their past and current support and share stories of the impact their donations have made. Then explore with the supporter how they’re feeling about their current levels of giving.
Were they just about to cancel their monthly gift to you? How brilliant that you found out now - because you can do something about it.
Maybe offering to reduce the value of their regular donation, gift frequency or suspending donations until the spring, maybe options available to you.
But also the perfect opportunity to introduce a legacy ask.
If they aren’t feeling cash rich, they’re naturally going to be wary of including a significant fixed amount gift in their Will. You’ll want to explain that residuary gifts are preferred by supporters, meaning the value of the gift is only in proportionate to the value of the estate.
However, you decide to approach the call, ensure it is well thought through. Be clear about what outcomes you want for your charity and your supporter.
Whether you have an appealing building backdrop, or need to hire some local space, invite your local supporters to have informal conversations with coffee and cake.
I would suggest you invite legacy enquirers too.
My experience is that people will generally travel up to a maximum of 45 minutes by car depending on how much they like the charity.
At the event guide supporters through what their donations have achieved. Encourage group participation so supporters feel heard.
Consider a postcard-size feedback response device. You can ask anything that you want to know (and supporters are willing to tell you). You’ll naturally want to add whether legacy giving is something they would consider. Also include ways to volunteer and is it an opportunity to recruit some charity ambassadors?
In summary, it’s important not to make assumptions about your supporters' ability to give or even that they want to stop giving at this current time.
If your supporters want to help but can’t give cash now, be ready to offer other opportunities that still will give them that glow inside.
If you need more on how legacy telephone campaigns could work for you, or other ways that I can help you to drive more interest in legacy giving at your charity, email me at sanita@persuasion.org.uk or visit https://persuasion.org.uk/.