Legacy and in-memory fundraising sound formal. Technical, even. The kind of thing that belongs in policy documents rather than real conversations.
But strip away the jargon and you’re left with something profoundly human: people choosing to turn loss, grief, and mortality into something meaningful.
This guide explains what legacy and in-memory fundraising actually are, how they work, why they matter, and whether they’re right for your charity.
This guide covers the fundamentals you need to understand these two channels properly.
What Is Legacy Fundraising?
Legacy fundraising is when someone includes a gift to your charity in their will. When they die, that gift passes to you.
It’s also called legacy giving, gifts in wills, bequest fundraising, or planned giving. They all mean the same thing: a donation that arrives after someone’s death, written into their will while they were alive.
The Three Types of Legacy Gifts
There are three main ways people can leave you a legacy:
Residuary legacies are a percentage of someone’s estate after all other gifts, debts, and taxes are paid. These are usually the most valuable type because they grow with the value of the estate. If someone leaves you 10% of their residuary estate and that estate is worth £500,000, you receive £50,000. If it’s worth £1 million, you receive £100,000.
Pecuniary legacies are a fixed sum of money. Someone might leave you £5,000 or £50,000. It’s simple and clear, but it doesn’t grow with inflation or the value of the estate. A £10,000 legacy written in 2010 is still £10,000 in 2026.
Specific legacies are a particular item or property – a house, a piece of land, jewellery, art. These are less common and can be complex to administer. You might need to sell the item, which takes time and involves costs.
Why Legacy Fundraising Takes Time
The journey from first conversation to receiving a legacy gift is long. Often 7-10 years. Sometimes longer.
You’re asking someone to think about their death, decide what matters to them, choose you among competing priorities (family, friends, other charities), write or update their will, and then… wait.
Most legacy gifts arrive as a surprise. Someone passes away, their solicitor contacts you, and you discover they left you a gift you never knew was coming.
Some people tell you in advance. These are called legacy pledges or legacy intentions. They’re valuable because they let you build a relationship, steward the person properly, and forecast future income. But they’re not legally binding. People can (and do) change their minds.
What Is In-Memory Fundraising?
In-memory fundraising is when someone donates to your charity in tribute to someone who has died. It’s also called memorial giving, tribute fundraising, or memorial donations.
Unlike legacy giving, in-memory fundraising happens immediately. Someone has died. The family is grieving. They want to do something meaningful. Your job is to make that easy, appropriate, and supportive.
What In-Memory Fundraising Looks Like
In-memory giving takes many forms:
Funeral collections happen at the funeral service itself. Family and friends donate instead of sending flowers. The funeral director collects the money and passes it to your charity.
Online memorial pages on platforms like JustGiving or MuchLoved let families create a dedicated page where people can donate, share memories, and leave messages. The page stays active long after the funeral, which means donations can continue for months or even years.
Memorial events are fundraising activities done in someone’s memory – sponsored walks, bake sales, charity auctions, concerts. The person organizing the event dedicates it to someone they’ve lost.
Regular giving in memory is when someone sets up a monthly donation as an ongoing tribute. It might be £10 a month for years, creating significant long-term value.
Physical memorials include named benches, plaques, memorial gardens, or bricks in a wall. The family makes a donation and receives something tangible that honours their loved one.
Why In-Memory Fundraising Is Different
In-memory giving is immediate and emotional. Someone has just experienced loss. They’re looking for a way to channel their grief into something positive.
Your role isn’t to fundraise in the traditional sense. It’s to make giving easy, appropriate, and genuinely supportive. Get it wrong and you cause harm. Get it right and you create a connection that can last decades.
How Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising Are Connected
These two channels might seem separate, but they’re closely linked.
Someone who gives in memory of a loved one might later leave a legacy gift themselves. Someone who’s pledged a legacy might give in memory when a friend passes away.
Both are rooted in loss, remembrance, and the desire to create something meaningful from death. Both require you to talk about mortality sensitively. Both attract people who care deeply about your cause.
Smart charities integrate both channels, creating a pathway from immediate grief-driven giving to long-term planned giving.
Why These Channels Matter
The Numbers
Legacy income accounts for billions in charitable giving across the UK each year. For some charities, legacies make up over 50% of their voluntary income.
In-memory giving is growing. More people are choosing to give in memory rather than send flowers to funerals. Online memorial pages make it easier than ever for families to channel their grief into fundraising.
Together, these two channels offer enormous potential for charities of all sizes.
The Quality
Legacy and in-memory gifts aren’t just big – they’re different.
Legacy gifts are often unrestricted, which means you can use the money where it’s needed most. They’re also patient. A £100,000 legacy can fund programmes for years.
In-memory donors are some of the most emotionally connected supporters you’ll ever have. They’ve experienced loss connected to your cause. When stewarded well, they become lifelong advocates.
The Challenge
Both channels require sensitivity, patience, and genuine care. You can’t rush legacy fundraising. You can’t be transactional with bereaved families.
Get it wrong and you damage relationships, harm vulnerable people, and undermine trust. Get it right and you build sustainable income that supports your work for decades.
Common Questions About Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising
Do we need to be a big charity to do legacy fundraising?
No. Small charities receive legacy gifts all the time. You just need to be deliberate about asking.
The person leaving the gift doesn’t care about your charity’s size. They care about your impact, your values, and whether you’ve built a relationship with them over time.
Is legacy fundraising expensive to set up?
It doesn’t have to be. You can start with low-cost activities: adding legacy information to your website, including legacy content in existing newsletters, and having conversations with long-term supporters.
Big campaigns with direct mail and events come later, once you’ve proven the concept works.
Isn’t in-memory fundraising just funeral collections?
No. Funeral collections are one part, but in-memory giving also includes online memorial pages, memorial events, regular giving in memory, and physical tributes like named benches.
The breadth of options means there’s something for every family, regardless of how they want to remember their loved one.
Is it appropriate to ask bereaved families for money?
You’re not asking them for money. You’re making it easy for them to give if they want to.
Many families actively want to do something meaningful in memory of someone they’ve lost. Your job is to facilitate that, not to create it.
Can we do legacy fundraising without talking about death?
No. And you shouldn’t try.
People talk about death all the time. They just don’t like it when fundraisers are awkward about it. Be direct. Be kind. Be human. That’s all it takes.
Should Your Charity Do Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising?
If you’re asking whether these channels are relevant for your charity, the answer is almost certainly yes.
Legacy and in-memory fundraising work for charities of all sizes, all causes, all regions. They’re not limited to health charities or hospices. They’re not just for national organisations with big budgets.
The question isn’t whether you should do them. It’s how you start, what resources you need, and what success looks like for your organisation.
What Comes Next
Understanding what legacy and in-memory fundraising are is the first step. Building programmes that bring in significant income while honouring donors takes more.
You’ll need strategy, messaging, infrastructure, stewardship systems, and the skills to talk about death without being awkward.
But it’s worth it. Because done well, these channels create income that supports your work for decades. They build deep relationships with supporters. They demonstrate trust and commitment in ways few other fundraising channels can match.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Ready to go deeper? Explore our Complete Guide to Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising for step-by-step guidance on building programmes that work.