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For many charities, gifts in Wills can be an important source of long-term income. But knowing they matter and actually feeling comfortable talking about them with your supporters can be two very different things.

It’s understandable that these conversations can feel difficult. Wills are personal, and you may worry about saying the wrong thing, upsetting someone or making a valued supporter feel uncomfortable. As a result, it can sometimes feel easier not to mention them at all.

Remember A Charity Week, taking place from 7th to 13th September, is an annual campaign that brings charities across the UK together to raise awareness of gifts in Wills. It’s a good opportunity to start talking about them with your own supporters too. Talking about gifts in Wills doesn’t have to mean making a direct ask. It can simply be about making supporters aware of the option and giving them the information they need if they would like to consider it.

Awareness Comes First

Talking about gifts in Wills doesn’t have to begin with asking someone whether they would consider leaving a gift. Often, the most important first step is simply making sure your supporters know that it’s an option.

Rather than treating gifts in Wills as something that only comes up during a particular campaign, look for opportunities to make them a natural part of your wider supporter communications. You might include information on your website, mention gifts in Wills occasionally in your newsletter or share a story about something that has been made possible by a legacy gift. Over time, this helps make the idea more familiar and gives interested supporters the opportunity to find out more in their own time.

It can take some of the pressure away from your charity too. You don’t need every mention of gifts in Wills to lead to a conversation, and you certainly don’t need to persuade anyone. By making the option visible and talking openly about why these gifts matter to your charity, you’re creating the opportunity for supporters to come to you when they’re ready.

Finding the Right Words

When a supporter does want to talk about leaving a gift, it’s easy to worry about saying the wrong thing. But you don’t need a carefully rehearsed script. A genuine conversation will often feel much more comfortable than trying to remember exactly what you think you’re supposed to say.

Start by listening. Someone might want to tell you why your charity matters to them, ask a practical question or simply mention that they’re thinking about leaving a gift. Let them guide how much they want to share and resist the temptation to ask questions that aren’t necessary. You don’t need to know the value of a potential gift, the details of their Will or even whether they ultimately decide to include your charity.

It’s also perfectly fine not to have every answer. You should be able to explain the information someone needs to leave a gift to your charity, but you’re not there to advise them on their Will or their personal circumstances. If they need legal advice, encourage them to speak to an appropriately qualified professional.

Making the Conversation Easier

Feeling more confident about talking about gifts in Wills isn’t only about what you say in the moment. Putting a few things in place across your charity can make those conversations easier for everyone:

• Make gifts in Wills visible –  Include them naturally across your website and supporter communications, rather than relying on one legacy campaign or one conversation to introduce the idea.
• Give people somewhere to go – Have a clear page on your website with the practical information supporters might need, including your charity details and who they can contact if they have questions. It means colleagues don’t have to feel they need all the answers themselves.
• Have someone who can continue the conversation – Make sure staff, trustees and volunteers know who to refer an interested supporter to. That person doesn’t necessarily need to be a legacy specialist, but they should feel confident talking about your charity’s approach and understand where the boundaries of their role lie.
• Build relationships with the right experts – A relationship with a local solicitor or Will-writing professional can give you somewhere appropriate to signpost people who need legal advice. Remember A Charity also has resources that charities can use to support their legacy fundraising.

Remember A Charity Week is also a useful springboard. It gives you a natural reason to introduce gifts in Wills across your communications and join a much wider national conversation. But rather than letting the subject disappear again when the week is over, use it as a starting point for making legacy giving a more familiar part of how you communicate with supporters.

Building Confidence Over Time

Talking about gifts in Wills may never feel quite the same as talking about other ways to support your charity, and that’s OK. But it doesn’t need to feel daunting. The more naturally you include the subject in your communications and the more prepared you are when someone wants to know more, the easier those conversations can become.

Remember A Charity Week is a great opportunity to start. But the real value comes from continuing the conversation throughout the year, so that gifts in Wills become a familiar part of how you talk about supporting your charity.

You don’t need to persuade anyone or have all the answers. Sometimes, simply making people aware that leaving a gift is an option is enough to open the door.