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Legacy and Bequest

How strong is your legacy and bequest practice? This short, evidence-based self-assessment scores your organisation against fundraising standards, shows where your biggest gaps are, and puts the most useful fixes first.
It takes about 10 minutes. Every question is optional, and the more you can share, especially real numbers and documents, the more accurate your result.

Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest or planned giving messages are woven into regular communications channels, not siloed into standalone mailings only?

Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest or planned giving messages are woven into regular communications channels, not siloed into standalone mailings only?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest solicitation language follows temporal decision-making principles and avoids gratuitous death references?

Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest solicitation language follows temporal decision-making principles and avoids gratuitous death references?
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Which best describes your organisation on: The NGO identifies and segments bequest prospects using evidence-based demographic and behavioural predictors, not just age alone?

Which best describes your organisation on: The NGO identifies and segments bequest prospects using evidence-based demographic and behavioural predictors, not just age alone?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Older lapsed donors are treated as bequest prospects rather than abandoned or subjected to standard reactivation appeals?

Which best describes your organisation on: Older lapsed donors are treated as bequest prospects rather than abandoned or subjected to standard reactivation appeals?
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Which best describes your organisation on: The NGO proactively asks donors for bequests through at least occasional standalone solicitations?

Which best describes your organisation on: The NGO proactively asks donors for bequests through at least occasional standalone solicitations?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Solicitation materials address the procrastination barrier by building self-efficacy, providing social support, and offering practical will-making assistance?

Which best describes your organisation on: Solicitation materials address the procrastination barrier by building self-efficacy, providing social support, and offering practical will-making assistance?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest solicitation materials explicitly engage at least two of the four core bequest motives: autobiographical reflection, generativity, reciprocation, and symbolic immortality?

Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest solicitation materials explicitly engage at least two of the four core bequest motives: autobiographical reflection, generativity, reciprocation, and symbolic immortality?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest solicitation is offered to a broad range of organisational stakeholders whose lives have been touched by the cause, not only to current financial donors?

Which best describes your organisation on: Bequest solicitation is offered to a broad range of organisational stakeholders whose lives have been touched by the cause, not only to current financial donors?
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Which best describes your organisation on: A dedicated bequest society or recognition programme exists for pledgers?

Which best describes your organisation on: A dedicated bequest society or recognition programme exists for pledgers?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Pledgers receive communications focused on organisational achievements and the difference previous bequests have made?

Which best describes your organisation on: Pledgers receive communications focused on organisational achievements and the difference previous bequests have made?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Number of planned giving vehicles the NGO can actively offer or facilitate beyond simple will bequests?

Which best describes your organisation on: Number of planned giving vehicles the NGO can actively offer or facilitate beyond simple will bequests?
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Which best describes your organisation on: Board members actively endorse and participate in the planned giving programme?

Which best describes your organisation on: Board members actively endorse and participate in the planned giving programme?
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Which best describes your organisation on: In-memory donors are identified in the database and warm in-memory donors are flagged as high-priority bequest prospects?

Which best describes your organisation on: In-memory donors are identified in the database and warm in-memory donors are flagged as high-priority bequest prospects?
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Which best describes your organisation on: The NGO offers tribute funds or memorial giving tools that allow families to honour a deceased loved one?

Which best describes your organisation on: The NGO offers tribute funds or memorial giving tools that allow families to honour a deceased loved one?
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Suggested uploads

These are optional. If you can share a few, we can check your answers against real evidence and give you a sharper, more useful result:

• Samples of newsletter, annual report, website, and email sequences showing bequest messaging integration
• Bequest solicitation copy/creative materials
• Evidence of language testing or audience reality-checking
• CRM screenshot or data dictionary showing bequest-relevant fields (family status, tenure, bequest pipeline stage)
• Segment definition or propensity model documentation
• Evidence of differentiated lapsed-donor treatment
• Bequest solicitation materials (mailings, emails, website pages)
• Evidence of social norm messaging and living pledger stories
• Will-making support tools or partnerships
• Board/leadership bequest participation data
• Bequest creative materials annotated against the 4 core motives
• Donor story examples used in bequest solicitation
• List of stakeholder groups targeted for bequest solicitation
• Bequest society programme description and membership materials
• Pledger stewardship plan or communications calendar
• Sample performance reports or pledger-specific communications
• CRM pipeline showing enquirer/considerer/intender/pledger tracking
• Planned giving programme documentation or marketing materials showing vehicle range
• Professional advisor relationships or referral network
• Board resolution or minutes endorsing planned giving
• Planned giving committee membership and activity records
• Database report showing in-memory donor identification and bequest-flagging
• Tribute fund platform or memorial giving tools
• Family-tribute bequest solicitation materials
• In-memory giving income breakdown by channel

Upload any of these documents (optional). You can add several files.

A little context

Over the last 3 years, is your work in this area getting better, staying the same, or getting worse?

Over the last 3 years, is your work in this area getting better, staying the same, or getting worse?
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Where do you keep the relevant records?

Where do you keep the relevant records?
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Anything outside your control that recently affected this area? For example a crisis, a funder leaving, or a sector shock.

This is a demo of the tool. If you have any feedback on it, we would appreciate hearing it.