Guest Blog: Five Ways to Build Stronger Engagement for Legacy Giving

A guest blog by David Cole, Managing Director at fastmap.

Engagement sits at the heart of legacy fundraising, reflecting the quality of the relationship a supporter builds with a charity over time — through trust, shared values and meaningful experiences.

There are many different ways that supporters might engage with charities across their lives. And crucially, these interactions don't occur in isolation. Most supporters care about more than one cause, and may even make implicit comparisons between the organisations they support.

Understanding engagement in this broader context can help charities strengthen the relationships that ultimately influence legacy decisions. Here are five tips for building engagement for legacy fundraising.

1. Focus on emotional connection, not just donation behaviour

As supporters get older, their giving behaviour often changes. Donations may reduce or stop altogether due to fixed incomes, health or changing circumstances — but this doesn’t mean their connection to a charity has weakened.

What to do
Look beyond donation amounts and frequency. Pay attention to indicators of trust, identification and long-term commitment, particularly among later-life supporters. These are often the relationships most relevant to legacy decisions — especially when supporters are choosing between several charities they care about.

2. Recognise that strong engagement takes many forms

Many people who go on to leave a gift in their Will were never major donors. Some engaged in quieter ways — reading communications, visiting shops, volunteering, or following a charity over many years.

What to do
Value different types of engagement equally. Help supporters feel that their relationship with your charity is recognised and meaningful, particularly in comparison to other charities they support in similar ways.

3. Use behaviour as a signal — and look beyond it

Behavioural data — whether that's donations, clicks, event attendance — reflects past activity. It does not capture how a supporter feels about a charity in relation to others they care about.

What to do
Treat behaviour as one signal among many. Where possible, supplement it with insight into attitudes, motivations and emotional connection — particularly indicators that suggest your charity is strengthening its relationship relative to similar organisations in a supporter’s mind.

 

4. Look at engagement by supporter group — and in context

Overall engagement scores can mask important shifts within a supporter base. Some groups may be becoming more engaged even when the headline figure looks flat.

At the same time, internal trends alone do not show whether engagement is strengthening faster or slower than it is elsewhere in the sector.

What to do
Explore engagement at a segment level and consider it in context. Understanding which supporter groups are deepening their connection — and how this compares with similar charities — helps ensure legacy strategy is focused where it can make the greatest difference.

5. Remember that legacy decisions are selective

Most supporters will ultimately choose one or two charities to include in their Will. This choice is shaped by long-term emotional connection and by how a charity stands out among others that feel important to them.

What to do
Invest in building a distinctive, consistent relationship over time. Help supporters feel confident that your charity understands them, reflects their values, and will steward their legacy responsibly — especially when compared with other causes they support.

A positive takeaway

Supporters do not decide about legacy giving in isolation. They make thoughtful, personal choices between the charities that have mattered most to them over time. When charities understand engagement as a relationship — and as a relative one — they are better placed to strengthen those bonds in meaningful, sustainable ways. Because legacy is not about being liked, but about being chosen.