Two years ago the Securing Your Legacy Future Report showed that hospices were losing market share in legacies to other charities. This was, at least in part, because they were investing less in marketing gifts in Wills than their counterparts.
The report led to the formation of the Hospice Legacy Circle in which over 25 hospices have come together to share best practice, receive expert guidance and see the latest research on legacy giving.
The 2023 report will be published next month and presented at a webinar on September 7th that I'm running with Legacy Futures. Follow this link to register.
I can reveal that this provides further evidence that hospices are lagging behind the wider charitable health sector in terms of growth in legacy income. More positively, the results do indicate that more hospices are realising how important legacies are to funding the care they provide. But actual levels of investment in terms of dedicated legacy staff and budgets are still inadequate in many. Moreover, many barriers to such investment - cultural, financial and operational – still exist.
With experts forecasting significant increases in the amounts left to charities in the years ahead, investing in legacy marketing is probably the best strategic decision you could make for the future of your hospice.
I hope I will see you at the webinar.