Legacy Roundtable 28 – 15th July 2026
With Helen Smith (RNIB) and Dominic Myers Green (Asthma & Lung UK )
Hi, there!
A big thank you to everyone who joined us for today’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 measure success in legacy fundraising before the income arrives. We looked at the role of forecasting, ROI and legacy lead values, but also the wider question of what meaningful progress really looks like.
We were delighted to be joined by:
Dominic Myers Green, Head of Supporter Giving & Legacies at Asthma & Lung UK – Dominic focused on how charities can measure and forecast the impact of legacy campaign using key metrics such as maturation rates, pledger and enquirer volumes, and average legacy value. He emphasis that forecasting is not an exact science, but provides charities with greater confidence when setting multi-year budgets and income targets. Dominic encourages charities to normalise conversations around returns on investment in legacy marketing to help teams building confidence in their projections and secure support for their future investments.
Helen Smith, Head of Supporter Experience at Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) - Helen focused on taking a supporter-centred approach to legacy giving and that charities should respect an individual’s choice to identify themselves as a pledger rather than encouraging unnecessary follow ups. She encouraged charities to focus on meaningful KPIs, and suggested that new charities start collecting legacy data as early as possible to avoid investigating years and years of data that can create an overly detailed forecast and create false confidence in charities. Helen reinforced that successful legacy planning balances strong data with empathy for supporters and realistic expectations about future income.
Highlights included:
Measuring legacy success often takes time, so charities should start incorporating planning and evaluation methods in the beginning to reflect the long-term nature of legacy income.
Even though forecasting models cannot predict every outcome, they are most valuable when they guide strategic conversations and investment decisions.
Building trust and respecting donors’ preferences is more valuable than just collecting data or encouraging supporters to identify themselves as pledgers.
Regularly tracking campaign performance, refining assumptions and using realistic evidence to help charities build confidence and make stronger business decision for continues investment in legacy fundraising.
Thank you for listening in and save the date for our next Legacy Roundtable on 30th September 2026.
Many thanks,
Stephen and the Legacy Roundtable Team