Our Blog

Firstly, this blog does not apply only to Zoom but is generally addressing what might become a serious issue with all video-calling interfaces when considering supporter engagement. This blog was triggered by my experience of feeling knackered after a daily dose of five hours+ on four “virtual” days running. As the pandemic continues with no

I fully admit it – we are lucky: We live in a village in the countryside. We have a garden. But how has the virus affected our lives? I have been out of the village once in over 4 weeks. Usually I am out travelling and meeting people every weekday. A huge and challenging change

The State of Legacy giving  is out  (with publishing help from PG Growth of Canada and Canadian Association of Gift Planners). Based on years of research it gives Will making and legacy giving trends around the world as well as thoughts on the future market taking into account demographic forecasts – which are so similar around the world.

Felix Dennis the entrepreneur has left the biggest UK charitable legacy ever. Estimated at around £175 million. Is it for a big charity? No, it is for “his” 30,000 acre forest in Warwickshire. His legacy has fulfilled his own vision. The three largest legacies in the history of UK legacies have been Christina Foyle, Anita Roddick and now

This could be considered a cruel blog. It is aimed at fundraisers around the world where legacy fundraising is often called planned giving. Planned giving should be re-named planned fundraising. Why? Because it is so easy to plan to do it but you do not get round to it. Pressures on your professional life can

I know I shoot from the hip occasionally (and I hope it encourages debate) but I feel incredibly passionate about regulation because I was around when the Institute of fundraising was founded. It was founded  to ensure best practice (for fundraisers) , and to ensure donors were, in effect, made “happy donors” in terms of recognising

On a BBC2 programme this week I discovered that the British public spend more on chicken breasts than they give in legacies to charities every year. That is very depressing. Please dear British public do not chicken out, act now and lay the foundations for financial security for your favourite charities by a gift in your Will

My blog on Tony Elischer’s article seems to have ignited passions around the world with some expressing real outrage, through Twitter,  at the thought of giving donors a break from an ask and focusing more on a thank you. This fascinates me. I am not someone who thinks we should NOT ask, but in this recession my

charities spend a lot on branding or rather re-branding. This can have a really detrimental effect on legacy income because the older generations get confused by the change (if it is radical and involves aname change) and is also seemingly expensive. It can also have side effects and one example I saw on a lorry

This tour is going to be great! Four amazing top international speakers (Guy Mallabone, Simone Joyaux, Stephen Pidgeon and me) taking fundraisers from Acquisition to major gifts to legacies with a really good dolop of strategy.  What more could you ask? Live webcast goes March 21 from Toronto: you can log on from your desk

Trust and confidence in charities and their fundraisingThe fact that two news items hit the headlines on the same day last week seems an interesting coincidence: individual giving is down by £2.3 billion (NCVO/CAF) and the launch of the Code of Fundraising Practice by the Institute of Fundraising.As far as individual giving is concerned a

I was tweated by a charity asking me to “promote their charity”. I refused because that is not what I do. I got a rather strange tweat back. So I decided to research them. Their website criticises another charity and the website has no registered charity number. This possible scam really really annoys me because

Following the horrendous floods on the East Coast of America will people rush and write their Will? And will they include a charity which helped them recover (such as the American Red Cross). Natural disasters seem to have this reaction because we suddenly realise we are not immortal. In 4-7  years (typical time lag) it will

Elizabeth Kubler Ross was an amazing, but maybe slightly strange or different, person who helped define our cycle of feelings towards death and dying (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). When my Mum was alive I talked to her a lot about this. My Mum was full of faith (Catholic) and she agreed with this cycle

I have just got back from a great family holiday on the French island of Ile de Re (just off the French west coast) – it is totally stunning. But never have I felt so poor. Every Brit we met owned loads of houses – the classic moment was when one person said “we own

So on Radio 4 I heard (not for the first time) “60 is the new 40” – does this mean we are not ready to be asked for a charitable legacy until we are 70+++ . How much does age affect giving?

Here I am watching the Olympics. Why do I like the discus and hate the shot put? Why do I like athletics and am bored by football? Why do I like the idea of a cash legacy and NOT a residuary legacy? Cash legacy has a sense of control. The discus is beautiful the shot

Just back from 4 days at the Cambridge Folk Festival (or Folk Vegetable as my two young daughters called it). AWESOME and camping is just so “family buidling” (I mean getting on together rather than having another child!) BUtthe worst moment was an older folk singer – he was just so dreadful it was said.

I asked two friends today which stories they remembered from the free newsaper Metro. Both said the story of the man who was arrested with 25 tins of spam in his trousers. Does this mean our legacy communications should all start with the strangest legacies? The answer in my view is definitely YES

It is Saturday morning and I am out campaigning against an “environmental development”. As I wonder through a village collecting surveys what reaction do I get? I see this man waving at me whilst he ignores my knocks. I see people cowering behind doors. “Are you a Jehovah’s witness?”. NO I just want your completed

Amazing to hear on Radio 4 that 8 million of us in our current UK population are likely to reach 100 in age! SCARY How lives have changed. I heard this on the way ot the Lake District (on business). I got to my hotel . 14 people in the restuarant that evening; 13 people

Just left my legacy session. I asked: what prohibits really good legacy fundraising? Interestingly it was lack of resources. For some reason I had thought: Trustees, CEOs, DFRs but no – it is resources. Or is it the TRUSTEES and CEOs blocking the investment?

Just leaving Canada and reading Rusell James’s research. Wish I had been there. It seems to me that this research absolutely confirms the link between legator and the cause. Best legacy campaigns always try to re-ignite memories so that the motivation can be reflected onto the prospect. – great stuff. What has blown me away

I am about to fly to Calgary (weather 15 degrees) then four more flighte finishing in Toronto (weather 45 degrees – seriously). It is a legacy business trip so I will see: a room a plane (economy) and a hotel. 5 flights in 5 days = must make sureI have my life insuracnce policy up

Surveys and academic papers, over the decades, by Harvard Business School, University of British Columbia and many other brilliant schools of academia have proved that happy people give more to charity than unhappy people. And the act of giving to others gives more happiness than giving to ourselves. Giving a legacy to ourselves is pretty

I am just back from a week’s holiday. My own car has parking sensors on the back – these are brilliant to prohibit damage. However, my rented car in Mallorca did not. So I reversed into a gate on day one and a wheelbarrow in a market on day two. Luckily I did not reverse