Whether you’re just gaining some traction, or are happily swimming in bequest revenue from your loyal donors, you need to look to the future.

Do you know how your donors are making planned giving decisions right now?

Think about it: the revenue you’re receiving is from supporters who made their plans years ago. Are you sure today’s donors are weighing the same motivations and barriers? Are they facing the same political and economic headwinds? We’re living in a different world and we’re seeing that donors are planning differently as a result. And the competition for legacy dollars is fierce.

If your planned giving program doesn’t meet the needs of your donors today, you’re not going to grow your revenue tomorrow.

With Fastmap, a data and research firm that has created a cutting-edge legacy benchmarking program in the UK, MWD has done a deep dive into how donors are making their legacy decision and how organizations are stacking up against each other in the race for those valuable bequest dollars. 10,000 US charity supporters over age 50 shared over 3,000 hours of granular data in March 2023, giving us an up to the minute window into bequest gift consideration at the individual charity, causal sector, and overall industry levels.

This dataset and analysis is completely unique and we’re excited to have these immediately actionable insights.

I’m happy to send you a copy of the US Legacy Competition Index, which ranks 40 top charities by legacy consideration rate, and an overview of the benchmarking project and reports available to charities. Email us to get your copy!

Tracy Malloy-Curtis, (she/her), JD, Vice President, Legacy Giving, is a 20-year veteran in legacy giving and major gifts fundraising for advocacy and social justice organizations nationwide. She leads the legacy giving practice at MWD.