According to our agency rep, I ran one of the most successful free wills campaigns in Canada - here’s how:

➡️ I had a great Planned Giving program already in place.

✅ Our supporters received messages about gifts-in-wills for years before we ran the program.

✅ Many donors raised their hands with an interest - and I built relationships with them.

So I segmented and targeted our warm Planned Giving audience.

I was strategic.

The result?

A higher uptake and follow-through in donors writing their Will AND leaving substantial gifts to our cause.

The agency rep we worked with was blown away. She told me it was one of the best campaigns she saw in her 10+ year career.

Here’s the thing - running a campaign to offer your donors free wills is NOT the silver bullet you think it is.

When fundraisers learn about these campaigns - which involves the charity paying a fee to offer donors free Wills (whether online or in-person with a network of lawyers) - I can practically see dollar signs light up in their eyes.

And I get why. Just one average estate gift is $50,000.

But these transformational gifts don’t happen just because you ask.

This isn’t an annual appeal - you’re not asking donors for $100 to feed a child.

Instead, you’re inspiring someone to invest in the future and address problems we might not even know about today.

In fact, if you rush to a free wills campaign, it’s common to receive token $100-$500 estate gifts as a thank-you from donors who feel indebted, but who aren’t inspired to leave a meaningful gift.

It’s applying an annual appeal mindset to Planned Giving - and getting annual appeal results.

When considering the donor cycle, a free wills campaign is the “ask”.

You wouldn’t rush to ask your donors for $50,000 without qualifying and cultivating them first - and Planned Giving often takes more time than an average major gifts cycle.

The good news is you don’t need a decade to cultivate your audience before a free wills campaign - but you need a strategy.

And that strategy needs to be created by someone who deeply understands Planned Giving fundraising - whether an in-house hire, or done-for-you consultant.

A free wills campaign can be an excellent tactic for an established Planned Giving program, but it’s not a strategy.

How to Run a Successful Free Wills Campaign

Should you hire an advisor or a fundraiser?