If you’ve ever stared at a spreadsheet wondering how on earth to set a realistic budget for your legacy programme – you’re not alone.
Unlike other fundraising income, legacy gifts come with a twist; you can inspire people to leave a gift in their will, but you can’t control exactly when it will turn into income.
This is where good legacy fundraising training can make all the difference – giving you the confidence to track, forecast and manage your pipeline with less stress and more accuracy.
At a recent Fundraising Everywhere Conference, Doug Clow from Legacy Futures shared practical tactics, memorable metaphors (hello, cantilever!) and reassuring tips to help fundraisers forecast legacy income – even when so much feels out of your hands.
Here’s what you need to know.
The Cantilever: A legacy forecasting metaphor that works
Doug used the cantilever bridge – a beam anchored at one end, sticking out into empty space – to explain smart legacy forecasting.
Your forecast is the beam.
Your tracking is the anchor.
And your methods must be solid enough to carry the weight.
If your tracking is poor, your forecast collapses. A good approach to legacy forecasting helps you understand what to track, how to analyse it, and how to keep your forecasts realistic.
The three timeframes every legacy fundraiser needs
One thing we cover in fundraising training for legacies is that you must plan for three different time horizons – each with its own reality and tools you can use:
✅ Short term (next 1–18 months):
- Most legacy cash income comes from bequests you already know about.
- Good tracking means knowing your average timings — death to notification, notification to cash.
- Pro tip: use median values for gift sizes – they’re less distorted by a few very large bequests than mean averages.
- Improve short-term cash flow through excellent admin, building strong relationships with executors and efficient estate management.
✅ Medium term (1–10 years):
- Driven mostly by existing wills – people who’ve already pledged.
- Broader trends matter: death rates, house prices, economic shifts.
- Smart stewardship keeps pledgers loyal and prevents will changes.
✅ Long term (5–50 years):
- This is where your legacy work pays off.
- The time you spend now building awareness, inspiring gifts in wills, and positioning your charity as a trusted cause will pay out decades from now.
- Social shifts – family structures, intergenerational wealth transfer – also shape this horizon.
Track the right data – a core part of legacy forecasting
Strong tracking is the anchor that holds your forecasting cantilever up. Make sure you’re monitoring:
- How many notifications you receive – and when.
- Estimated vs. actual values – and how close your estimates are.
- Timelines for each stage – death to notification, to probate, to final payment.
- The percentage of notified gifts that don’t come through.
Help your whole team understand these metrics and use them to talk with finance teams and leadership.
Cash vs. recognised income – a must-know for Legacy Fundraisers
A point that often trips up legacy fundraisers is the difference between:
- Cash income: actual money received, which you can spend.
- Recognised income: money you legally must report once you know it’s probable, even if you don’t have it yet.
Doug’s advice? Forecasting cash is usually easier – recognised income is volatile, and big gifts can throw your predictions off if you’re not prepared.
The heart of good legacy fundraising training: patience + action
If you take one thing away: legacy fundraising is a long game.
Good budgeting for legacy fundraisers helps you:
- Keep solid records.
- Use smarter averages (medians!).
- Build relationships – with pledgers, executors and colleagues.
- Accept what you can’t control – and manage what you can through stewardship and smart admin.
The bottom line: forecast with confidence
Legacy gifts are big, slow and powerful. With the right legacy fundraising training, you’ll build the confidence, systems and culture to track, forecast and grow this vital income stream – today and for generations to come.
Next time you open that forecasting spreadsheet, think of Doug’s cantilever:
A strong base, a solid beam – and the bravery to stretch out into the future.
Want more support? Legacy Futures, Legacy Voice, and Legacy Link are trusted partners for analysis, strategy and admin. And if you’re looking for practical, friendly fundraising training, check out our Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising Conference happening this September 25th 2025. We’re here to help you build a legacy programme that really lasts.