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Developing a Legacy Strategy (Management Level)

28 April 2026 10:00am - 4:30pm
Online
Training Courses
- Legacy Fundraising
SC1023
Current

This inspiring one day course will enable you to prepare and fulfil a detailed legacy strategy, enable you to develop meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and provide you with a cultivation and stewardship programme. Leading a legacy campaign involves understanding the research priorities, developing focused and inspirational legacy messages and developing clear and challenging objectives for each prospect segment. This course focuses on strategy, KPIs and how to lead and run a successful programme.

Course Fees

Individual Member Fee

£207.00

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Non-Individual Member Fee

£272.00

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Key Information

Who should attend?

This course is designed for experienced fundraisers who are involved in the legacy marketing and need to develop a new legacy strategy and develop focused legacy materials. It is suitable for dedicated legacy fundraisers and for those whose job includes other responsibilities.

Benefits for you and your organisation

If your charity is considering investing in legacies then this course will give you a detailed strategy which is as evidence based as possible with a really focused range of objectives and detailed communications programme. The course will suggest investment priorities as well as how to integrate legacies.

Topics covered in this course

Research: statistics and the marketplace, past legacies, attitudes and motivations for legacy giving

Legacy communications: developing a legacy vision, messages relevant to different generations, focusing unique messages in each medium

Strategy development: objective setting, target audiences, methods of communication

Cultivation and stewardship: maintaining contact/upgrading with pledgers and enquirers

Evaluation: setting activity driven KPIs

You can bring any legacy materials with you for evaluation by the trainer and other delegates.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Prepare and develop an effective legacy fundraising strategy
Research the legacy marketplace and identify threats and opportunities
Recognise the motivations for people leaving legacies
Develop key communication objectives to generate improved results
Cascade legacy activities effectively throughout your charity
Develop and/or improve your stewardship programme
Establish the most realistic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and measure your success
Prepare and manage a prudent and cost effective budget

About your trainer

Richard Radcliffe FCIOF(Cert)

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Richard Radcliffe FCIOF(Cert)

Biography:

Initially Richard was an in-house fundraiser. But for the last 35 years Richard has specialised in researching supporters, training anyone to make the legacy “ask” (about 40,000 of them!) and developing legacy strategies (about 500!) He was Executive Chairman of Smee & Ford for 12 years where he started the UKs first dedicated legacy consultancy. He sold Smee & Ford over a decade ago and has since run his own consultancy.

He has met around 34,000 supporters and service users for over 500 charities to gain their perceptions of the charities they support.

His strategies cover every cause of every size on the planet.

He has worked in over 30 countries on developing legacy campaigns.

He has been Chair of the International Fundraising Congress and Institute of Fundraising Convention for four years.

In 2018 he was given, by the Institute of Fundraising (which recently gained Chartered status), the Lifetime Contribution to Fundraising Award.

His recent book, published by Smee & Ford, “Why legacies are brilliant for charities and how to get them” – is globally popular and a very practical book.

The live virtual training experience

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising's live virtual training is delivered by trainers who are leading experts in their chosen discipline. Each virtual course has been especially designed to deliver a rich virtual learning experience. Your course will feature:

Zoom platform learning environment
Interactive engagement with the trainer and peers
Group discussions and exercises
Real-life case studies and examples
Ample Q&A opportunities throughout the sessions

Technology requirements

The course is being delivered via the online platform zoom. To enable you to interact with your tutor and your class you will need to have access to a microphone (or access to a landline phone) and ideally have a working video link via a camera. To test compatibility with your system, you can join a test meeting via this link.