CharityComms

The chair of Remember a Charity has called for a “new era” of collaborative, committed and external-facing leadership in legacies, which he says is necessary in order to protect this source of income from the economic downturn.

Stephen George (pictured), chair of Remember a Charity and director of development and head of legacies at NSPCC, has issued an open letter to all of the former group’s members in which he challenges all those involved in legacies to step up to the plate to ensure the income stream continues to thrive in spite of “interesting and challenging times”.

“If we want to make the advances we want to see, it’s up to all of us in the legacy world, at whatever level and in whatever role, along with directors of fundraising, chief executives, trustees and sector leadership to step up to be more informed, strategic and proactive,” said George.

He said that the new leadership would “demand strategic ownership at the highest level” and be willing to learn from successes and donor priorities.

In addition to issuing a call to action, George also alluded to major changes ahead in the Remember a Charity campaign to make legacy giving a more commonplace activity.

On 7 October this year, Remember a Charity will unveil its new campaign, based on research it has yet to reveal, which George says will be “full of energy, insight, learning and determination to move on.” A new agency, to be announced in September, will be managing the campaign.

The fee structure will also be subject to change, the details of which will be announced at around the same time – as will the organisation’s strategy paper which will lay out Remember a Charity’s plans for the coming three years.