Make your gifts in wills program great – here’s how
For over ten years, Wendy Brooks & Partners has been helping clients create, design, launch, and enhance their gifts in wills programs.
However, over the last few years we have witnessed quicker successes for our clients. Clients could historically expect to receive a return on their investment (after setting up a gifts in wills program) within 7 years of launching a program, but some clients we have worked with recently have achieved success within just 18 months!
Why is this? Well, although there are a range of reasons, the predominant one is an ageing population, along with an increase of the transfer of wealth between Australians. In fact, a report by the Productivity Commission on ‘Wealth transfers and their economic effects’ shows that inheritances and gifts more than doubled since 2002 and could rise four-fold in real terms between now and 2050 as household wealth grows and the population ages.
Simultaneously, Australians have become more aware of the option to give to charities through their estate planning, in large part due to an increase in the use of online Gifts in Wills programs (such as Willed) that prompt people to consider making a gift in their will.
In summary, older Australians have a lot to give, it is easier for them to give than it has been before, and the most proactive charities are guiding their supporters through the process, so that they know that leaving a gift in their will is a valuable way to contribute to the social sector.
This is all fantastic news and should be encouraging to anyone considering setting up or improving their organisation’s gifts in wills program.
Key considerations to make your gifts in wills program a success
We have learnt so much from designing, launching, testing, and boosting our clients’ gifts in wills programs over the years.
We have worked with a vast array of organisations—from small to large, across all types of industries (medical, research, social justice, First Nation’s, disability etc)—and have helped them to achieve great success from implementing strong gifts in wills programs which really resonate with their community.
Here are four key things we have learnt that you should consider when setting up your own gifts in wills program:
1. Legalities are important. Here is a frequent situation our clients experience: a lawyer reaches out to someone at your organisation advising that one of their clients would like to leave a gift in their will to your organisation. What do you do?
Without the right preparation, which includes considering the legalities of your situation, you will not be able to respond fast enough to (1) allow a lawyer the opportunity to include the gift in the donor’s will or (2) present your organisation as capable, organised, and appreciative.
This exact scenario transpired in just the past few months for one of our clients – but with a twist. The interested donor (and their lawyer) had read the organisation’s gifts in wills webpage and guide, but specifically sought to leave a gift for only one of the organisation’s programs. In this instance, it was important for the client’s suggested gifts-in-wills wording to specify how donors could leave their gift to only one area, program, or recipient. In this instance, we were able to provide swift guidance to our client so that they could reply to the lawyers query and ensure that the gift was made in the will in a way that all were happy with. To ensure you can respond in a similar way, make sure that you:
- Have a dedicated internal representative that is going to be in charge of receiving queries in relation to gifts in wills;
- Have a relationship with a law firm that will support your organisation should similar queries – or indeed estate planning disputes – arise.
We would be happy to point you in the right direction if you need assistance with this process.
2. Why is important – donors need to know why your organisation is the perfect recipient for their bequest. You need to demonstrate what the donor’s contribution will mean for the charity, but the harder (and more important) question is: what’s in it for the donor?
Before explaining how people can leave a gift, ensure you emphasise how even a small gift will be put to good use in supporting your beneficiaries and benefitting the donor. To be able to understand what motivates your donors, it may be useful to consider the two motives of giving as considered in philanthropy psychology: altruistic giving (giving which is driven by a desire to help others) and self-interested giving (giving which is driven by the desire to receive something in return, like reputation, recognition, social status, etc.).
To speak to both types (or to donors that might be motivated by a mixture of altruism and some self-interest), it is important for your gifts in wills program to reveal clear benefits to a donor. For example, for self-interested givers, you can make it clear that, with their approval, an acknowledgement of their gift will be highlighted in your next annual report and at an upcoming event.
For more altruistic givers, you can engage them directly in a conversation and extoll the impact that your programs have had, and proceed to explain what greater impact you could have with more funding. Examples include a successful pilot program that could expand to new geographies, a scholarships program that could reach more students, or another initiative that particularly benefits from scaling up.
Further reading: An example of this impact communication can be found on Uniting NSW.ACT’s recently completed Gifts in Wills landing page, which we assisted to create. It clearly demonstrates the value that will be provided to the community when a gift in will is left to Uniting NSW.ACT.
3. The call to action needs to be tailored. You cannot just copy and paste a template (or another organisation’s!) gift in wills page. Some of the messaging will align with your own, but it will ultimately be insufficient to convert your audience.
A great example of this was completed by our client Expression Australia, who used Auslan interpreters and videography to clearly communicate their Gifts in Wills program to their community. You can see their page here: https://www.expression.com.au/support-our-work/bequests
When Expression Australia launched their gifts in wills program, they promoted it to their community and, because it was accessible, used the perfect communication strategy, and provided plenty of information from a trusted source, the community responded very positively and a number of donors used the free online will option within a week of its launch.
This goes to show the importance of:
- Tailoring your communication so it resonates with your community and potential donors;
- Thinking proactively about what information your community and donors will need and how to provide it; and
- The need to promote your program to get traction and thus a return on your investment.
4. Promotion must align with your marketing and communications channels. There’s no point to developing and building a beautiful gifts in wills program without actively promoting it before, during, and after it launches.
Engage with your marketing and comms team to craft a gifts in wills program aligned to your brand guidelines and voice, and then work with them to promote your gifts in wills program within your existing marketing and comms strategy. We recommend that you consider the following communication channels or promotions:
- A launch event, either internally (many staff members will be keen to learn about the free gifts in wills option if you’ve partnered with an online wills provider) or with external community members and donors. Tell your community about your gifts in wills program and what a great way it is to support the organisation;
- Newsletter and email communication advising your supporter / subscriber base about the launch / re-fresh of the program, including case studies and stories of either beneficiaries of your service or even better videos from Board members or other donors about why they’ve left a gift in their will;
- Social media posts about the program and using quotes and testimonials in line with the above – you can see great examples of case studies on the Stroke Foundation website here: https://strokefoundation.org.au/how-you-can-help/ways-to-donate/gifts in wills/why;
- Regular reminders in other communication channels (newsletters, annual report, etc.) that this is an important way to support the organisation;
- Recognition and profiling of donors (with their consent) about those that have made a gift in their will to the organisation and why they made that choice – the research shows that this greatly inspires others to make a gift in their will;
- A gifts in wills section in your annual supporter survey that informs about the program, asks supporters if they’d like more information about your gifts in wills program, and to let you know if they have left a gift in will. In this way you will be able to start obtaining information about those that are interested in the program to liaise with them accordingly. Lastly, you’ll gather information about those that have made a gift in their will to your organisation already and can embark on stewarding them as major donors.
If you’re ready to take the next step in setting up or enhancing your gifts in wills program, Wendy Brooks & Partners has the experience and sector knowledge to help you succeed. Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you in making your gifts in wills program great: call 0419 508 245 or email info@wendybrooks.com.au