Legacy Roundtable 26 – 12th November 2025
With Hamish Shilliday (Canal & River Trust) and Clare Sweeney (Keepace Consultancy)
Hi, there!
A big thank you to everyone who joined us for last Wednesday’s roundtable!
If you weren’t able to join us, you can find a short summary of what was discussed, along with an audio recording of the session below.
Hosted by Stephen Follows (Catsnake: The Story Agency) and Helen Smith (RNIB), this roundtable focused on how charities can prepare for the upcoming great wealth transfer by improving legacy giving strategies by engaging with their current audiences and improving their communications outlets, team structures and credibility for future donors.
We were delighted to be joined by:
Hamish Shilliday, Head of Individual Giving & Legacies at Canal & River Trust – As legacy fundraising has become increasingly competitive, Hamish emphasised how important it is for both large and small charities to enhance their market reach with better communication, stronger local impact and tailored audience engagement. He continued to stress the importance of credibility over producing products to improve their organisations’ relationships with audiences.
Clare Sweeney, Fundraising Consultant at Keepace Consultancy – Clare focused on the Baby Boomer generational wealth, home ownership and values around generosity as a powerful growth opportunity for legacy fundraising. She also acknowledged that the sector is more competitive, but noted that leadership teams have continued to understand the importance of long-term thinking and investments in order to grow with the sector. Furthermore, Clare recongised that charities are better equipped and prepared to build sustainable legacy programmes for the future.
Highlights included:
As legacy fundraising rapidly evolves and becomes an opportunity for growth, charities must consider strategic long-term thinking and investments to keep up with the sector.
The Baby Boomer generation provides a powerful opportunity for legacy income due to the generation’s strong values and generosity to give back to charities.
With competition continuing to rise, charities must consider how their cut-through marketing approach will not only connect with audiences and ask opinions, but increase their credibility within the sector.
As charities progress within the sector, leadership teams are better equipped for legacy fundraising work and have a greater understanding of the value behind it.