Fundraising Principles and Practice, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER FIFTEENBEQUEST, IN MEMORIAM, AND TRIBUTE GIVING

Claire Routley and Adrian Sargeant

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Conduct an assessment of the potential for bequest fundraising in your own organization.
2. Identify the demographic, lifestyle, and behavioral characteristics of bequest pledgers.
3. Understand the motives underlying bequest giving.
4. Plan a bequest giving campaign for your organization.
5. Develop appropriate bequest solicitation materials.
6. Solicit in memoriam and tribute fund giving.

Introduction

According to Giving USA, in 2022, bequest gifts generated $46.01 billion for US charities, a decrease of around 7% on the previous year (Giving USA, 2022). Although figures do vary from year to year, the proportion of overall giving accounted for by bequests has remained remarkably constant over time (around 8% to 9%). Bequests have historically been a highly significant source of income for the sector.

The good news for bequest fundraisers is that their market will expand dramatically in the coming years. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the number of people dying in the US will almost double in the next forty years (see Figure 15.1), the annual mortality rate climbing from 0.8% to almost 1.4% in the period. This rise will be primarily due to the passing of the baby boomer generation (i.e., those born between 1946 and ...