The Marathon Buzz

There’s nothing quite like completing a marathon or taking part in a relay marathon team.

(The following article is aimed at our charity and fundraising community.)

Then there’s the added feel-good factor of successfully fundraising for a much-loved charity or cause.

The marathon buzz has been ongoing for a few weeks now, with our social media feeds filled with links from our families and friends fundraising pages followed up with their medal photos.

The world’s most famous marathon is just over for another year – the London Marathon.

And, at the weekend past, runners completed our very own local marathon – the Deep River Rock Belfast City Marathon.

Will to Give was delighted to see 3 out of the 5 nominated Belfast City Marathon charities, Will to Give members.

As Fundraisers, you are probably well aware of the difference in your charity’s legacy and marathon income over the period of a year.

£48.5 million has been raised by London Marathon Runners so far this year in comparison to £2.6 billion in legacy income received by charities in 2016/2017.

You probably feel as a Fundraiser that you have very little control over your legacy income in the present.

However, you can today make a difference to the legacy income of the future.

Every supporter who pulled on their trainers and clocked up the miles, set up their Justgiving pages and badgered their friends and family in aid of your charity has the potential to leave a gift in their Will.

Now is the perfect time to make them aware that they can leave a gift in their Will to your charity.

That could mean inviting them to your next legacy information event, running a targeted legacy Facebook ad, sending them a newsletter that includes a legacy ask or legacy case study. (All in line with GDPR of course.)

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to turn today’s supporter into a future legacy pledger for your charity.

Photo credit: Action Mental Health