Hidden legators
It’s no secret that most legacy gifts come out of the blue. In fact, for many charities, around 78% of legacy donations are likely to be hidden until the will goes through probate.
This also makes it pretty difficult to tell exactly who has left a bequest, in life. Every unexpected legacy speaks to a missed opportunity to connect with the legator.
And ‘hidden’ gifts are frustrating in the long-run, too. If you can’t identify legacy donors, then you can’t begin to understand what drove their donation. You’re also in the dark about what funding to expect from their gift.
It’s important, then, for you to know why your legators leave charitable bequests. And given the chance, some of them might be happy to tell you. But how can you contact living legators if you don’t know who they are in the first place?
An online will-writing partner can help you discover who your hidden legators are. For charities struggling to identify legators in life, it’s a big step in the right direction.
Online wills let you see more
When it comes to managing legacy gifts, visibility is key. That’s why many charities are using online will providers — they offer vital insights.
If you want to find out reasons why living legators are leaving gifts, then you need to know three things:
(a) who they are
(b) what bequest they’ve made
(c) how to get in touch with them
At Beyond, we can help you out with all this. You can access crucial information about your legators that can’t be found elsewhere — all within legal guidelines and with clear user consent.
You can get supporter consent to contact them, via email, phone or postal address (this is GDPR compliant). They’ll see your charity’s personal message, where you can explain why you’d like to stay in touch with them.
We’ve also gone the extra step to give charities real-time wills tracking. This lets you see bequests, as and when they arrive.
Getting information on your legators and their bequests is fundamental to future planning. And online wills can help to make sure that you stay in the know.
View your legacy gifts
When someone leaves a legacy to your charity in a Beyond online will, you can view the bequest. You’ll be able to see the volume and type of gift in each will (if applicable).
You can also sort and filter legators by demographic, but the data will remain anonymised.
Contact your living legators
When a legator consents to sharing their personal data, you’ll be able to contact them. With Beyond, you can easily download their opted-in contact details into your charity’s CRM.
This sets you on the path to building strong relationships with legacy donors. You’ll then be able to ask them about their motivations for leaving a legacy. This also gives you a better chance to increase engagement and grow bequests over time.
It’s important to know that not every legator will want to disclose their reasons for giving. Even with legators’ consent, you should always remain sensitive when making contact.
Get in touch
If you’re keen to discover more about your charity’s hidden legators, then send an email to [email protected]. He’s always happy to chat!
