Guide to the application of
the fundraising cycle to a
Legacy Campaign
The fundraising cycle applied to
the legacy campaign
Update
Collect and analyse data
(DB)
Verify cause
Mission, Vision and
Case
Establish goals and
share them internally
Relationship with
Identify human and
potential testator
economic needs
Identify human and
economic needs
Supporter loyalty
Money, property,
services, and
collaborations: ask
Analyse expectations of
target audience
fearlessly!
Recruit volunteers and
Communication: choice
collaborators
of media and contents
Establish a Strategic
fundraising plan
Identify potential
supporters and estimate
income
Research on donors
The fundraising cycle (1)
Mission Vision and Case: it is important to answer
these questions
• Why does Radio Maria need a legacy?
• What is the Vision of Radio Maria? Which needs
can a legacy cater for?
• Why does Radio Maria have to invest in a legacy
campaign?
• Why should the donor name Radio Maria in its
will?
The fundraising cycle (2)
Goals: decide what use the income will
be put to (1)
• It guarantees the long-term pursuit of Radio
Maria activities
• It allows Radio Maria to expand and develop
important or extraordinary projects which would
otherwise be difficult to sustain
• It diversifies the sources of income… other?
The fundraising cycle (3)
Goals: decide what use the income will be put
to (2)
• It satisfies the expectations of the donors for which they
are a type of well thought-out, targeted and very
personal donation
• They bring elevated resources with a relatively low
acquisition cost (once the campaign is working to its
greatest potential!)
• It is a guarantee of resources in the event of emergency
or at critical times!
The fundraising cycle (4)
Research on donors and other targets to be decided:
• Who are the potential testators of Radio Maria?
• What do they think about a legacy campaign?
• What do they expect from Radio Maria in
exchange for the legacy (if they expect
something)?
• What do they like or dislike?
• By answering these and other questions it is
possible to identify different targets depending
on their interests and communicate with them in
the best possible way
The fundraising cycle (5)
Potential targets and motivations
The average life expectancy of Italians is constantly rising
The target audience are those born
Between 1915 and 1935
- They are alone, sad, very
old
- They talk about death
- They love contact with
people
- They are careful with their
lives
- They don’t spend money
- They are defensive
- They are “fragile”
Between 1935 and 1960
- They are dynamic,
responsible
- They are donors, volunteers
- They are workers, pensioners
- They are more or less well-off
- They communicate more
easily with various media
- They have few or no children
Let us look back at the reasons: Faith, social commitment, giving back the good that has been
received, changes, absence of heirs and family problems. Let us analyse the context of the public
at large in the country in which we operate and the file of our donors to identify targets with
common denominators.
The fundraising cycle (6)
How and from whom do the Legacies arrive
Common behavioural trends of donors
Very large donations, substantial legacies
Substantial special donations, medium-large legacies
Sporadic, small, medium donations, medium and small legacies
25
50
70
90
100
The fundraising cycle (7)
PEST analysis
• Politics: What are the current and future laws?
• Economic: Do the crisis and increase in the cost
of living reduce potential legacies?
• Social: average life expectancy is increasing and
what do women, who live longer, think about
this?
• Technology: What effect does the Internet have?
The fundraising cycle (8)
SWOT analysis (1)
• Strengths: an effective communication
tool: the radio; listeners, elderly donors,
existence of a potentially effective data
base etc.
• Weaknesses: lack of a structure
dedicated to the management of relations
with the testators, possible lack of sharing
between all internal targets (staff,
volunteers, etc.)
The fundraising cycle (9)
SWOT analysis (2)
• Opportunity: extinction of families,
increase in the sensitivity to wills, power of
the Religious Cause, widening the
message to new targets in Italy and
abroad
• Obstacles: “huge competition” from the
Church itself and other Religious Bodies.
Economic crisis and increase in average
life expectancy
The fundraising cycle (10)
Defining a strategic plan
• Decide how to integrate the Legacy Campaign
into Radio Maria’s global fundraising strategy
• Decide which targets to start working on. Board,
volunteers, members, supporters, insiders,
donors and the public at large
• Decide to integrate other communication tools
into the radio to give the potential testator the
opportunity to “come close”
The fundraising cycle (11)
The relationship with the potential testator
- It is necessary to integrate the theme of legacies
into all the management and communication
tools geared to donors, volunteers and internal
and external targets
- It is necessary to listen to donors and
interlocutors making the relationship with them
increasingly intense and cared for
- It is necessary to develop communication
targeted on the theme of legacies and to gather
all the useful information that can follow
The fundraising cycle (12)
The legacy as the result of many forces
• Cause
• Accomplished projects and
prospects
• Analysis and research
• Tools, involvement, ad hoc
motivations for each target
• Motivation, interest and
passion
• In-depth analysis, Trust
• Expectations
• Recognition and testimonies
• Relationship!!
DONATION:
- yearly
- periodic
- frequent
- recent
- absent
- a one-off payment
- voluntary work
LEGACY!
The fundraising cycle (13)
The collection and analysis of data
• It is essential to be able to rely on a good
Database of relational marketing and be aware
that it has to be implemented and cannot be
done without
• It is necessary to make a list of all the useful
information relating to the potential testator
(before and after any will)
• Continuous consultation of the DB to monitor the
behaviour of donors and testators
The fundraising cycle (14)
The database and its strategic role (1)
Organise the historical data
• Be acquainted with the motivations of the
donors
• Manage the different segments of the
targets (in and out) in a personalised
manner
• Test communication and messages on a
regular basis
• Analyse, verify, and store the results
The fundraising cycle (15)
The database and its strategic role (2)
Some useful data in relation to the legacies
• Personal information including date of birth
• Origin of contact
• Behavioural information
• Significant dates in relation to the legacy
• Type and value of legacy
• Total amount of payments, if made by a donor
• Other non-profit beneficiaries
• Existence of direct heirs
• Name of notary public /will executor
• History of the development of the contact
Etc.
The fundraising cycle (16)
The assessment of the results and
updates
• It is difficult to predict the results of a
legacy campaign, but from experience we
can say that they are guaranteed and
arrive regularly
• It takes from two to five years to see
results. It is possible to assess a trend and
make predictions and increasingly
targeted plans only after several (5/10)
years
The fundraising cycle (17)
Assessment of the results and updates
• Over the years, going back over the stages of
the Fundraising Cycle on a regular basis, it is
possible to gauge their actions in an increasingly
better way and to reach increasingly better
results.
• It takes from two to five years to see results. It is
possible to assess a trend and make predictions
and increasingly targeted plans based on
consolidated analysis and data only after several
(5/10) years
Websites of several organisations
involved in Legacy Campaigns
http://www.operasanfrancesco.it/OSF/lascititestamentari/intro.cfm
http://www.istitutopasteur.it
http://www.medicisenzafrontiere.it/sostienici/lasciti_testamentari.asp
http://www.fondazionefirc.it/aiuta_ricerca/lascito_testamentario.asp
http://www.actionaid.it/it/cosa_puoi_fare/dona__it/lasciti_it.html
References to succession law
in Italy
http://www.lexced.it/Codice_Civile.aspx?libro=2
http://www.successionetestamento.it/successione/successione.as
p
http://www.notariato.it/export/sites/default/it/notariato/chisiamo/allegati-chi-siamo/Guidasuccessioni_tutelate.pdf
Italian research on heirless succession trends between 2005
and 2020
Gianpaolo Barbetta per Fondazione Cariplo
Sito www.cariplo.it – Osservatorio (bisogna registrarsi per
richiedere il Quaderno sulla ricerca sui lasciti)
Useful links
Ethical code on UK legacies
http://www.institute-offundraising.org.uk/Codes_and_regulation/Codes/codes-directory
Fundraising guidelines
http://www.agenziaperleonlus.it/index-2.html