Harnessing social media to start your legacy conversations

It’s no secret that we are a hugely charitable nation. We should be proud of the fact that 75% of the British public support a charity during their lifetime.

Research has shown that 35% of the total population are ‘happy to give a small amount to charity in their Will, after taking care of family and loved ones.’

The issue is that only 7.3% go on to include their favourite charity in their Will: a very low figure for such a generous nation.

Why is this? There are some common misconceptions about gifts in Wills: you have to be wealthy to leave money in your Will; you can only look after family and friends or charity. And many simply aren’t aware of this vital form of giving.

So how can we start conversations with our supporters, to challenge these barriers and present gifts in Wills as the norm?

Get noisy

Remember A Charity works with over 140 charities in the UK, to make gifts in Wills a social norm. Through our annual Remember A Charity in your Will Week, we help our member charities to get noisy about legacies.

There is a powerful, cost-effective way to get your message heard: social media.

Social media can be the means to reach the Will-writing public. For small charities, it’s a completely free way to get the attention of your supporters.

There is a huge range of channels for engaging them in a direct, timely manner.

Your profiles are the platform for sharing fresh, topical content and starting conversations. Day-to-day activity allows you to get your message heard without having to wait until your next quarterly newsletter.

Don’t forget, a strong image with a few words may be enough for the legacy message to resonate with your audience.

The “drip drip effect”

Repetition of your key messages is vital, as this will help to normalise legacies.

You don’t necessarily need to develop a big, expensive campaign strategy to engage with potential donors.

Social media, e-newsletters and blogs allow you to incorporate the legacy message into your communications throughout the year: the ‘drip drip effect’.

Do you have an inspiring supporter story you could write a feature or blog about? This could be shared on Twitter or Facebook, pulling out impactful quotes.

When sharing these stories, use positive messaging to promote the idea that gifts in Wills will help your good work continue long into the future.

If you can tap into your supporters’ emotions, they will be more likely to respond to social posts and ultimately consider the idea of a legacy.

‘Family first’

A key way to address the barriers to legacy giving is the ‘family first’ message.

By making gifts in Wills relevant for ordinary people and reminding them that family and loved ones will always take priority, you reassure them that they can support both.

Weave this messaging into your social media activity and encourage supporters that a small gift can make a big difference.

Legacy champions

Make your staff, volunteers and trustees aware of the importance of legacies.

Build a team of legacy champions who aren’t afraid to talk about gifts in Wills through their own social profiles. Encouraging them to share your posts makes the most of their networks and promotes legacies on a wider scale.

Remember, it starts with a simple conversation.

Remember A Charity is formed of 140 of the UK’s favourite charities, working together to encourage more people to consider leaving a charitable gift in their Will, once they’ve looked after family and friends.

www.rememberacharity.org.uk