Generous legacy gifts fund everything at UK universities from essential equipment and research to scholarships and bursaries for students in financial hardship. This includes at the University of Liverpool, where a bequest supports local undergraduates from underprivileged backgrounds through our Bloomberg Scholarship.
Gifts in wills account for about 25 per cent of individual donations to UK universities, and the potential is growing. The greatest intergenerational wealth transfer to date is now under way, with baby boomers starting to pass on their wealth through inheritance, gifts or trusts. Legacy income for charities (including universities) is already at £4.5 billion a year, according to Legacy Futures and Smee & Ford’s Legacy Giving Report, and is forecast to reach £10.2 billion by 2050.
No one is more passionate about university education than baby boomers, the generation for whom it first became broadly accessible. For many, such as Harry Bloomberg, whose gift established our scholarship, supporting higher education carries deep meaning, whether they benefitted personally or simply wish to invest in future generations.
- Five tips to help you find non-federal research funding
- Donors want to see real-world impact. What does that mean for higher education in the sciences?
- Philanthropists, governing boards and faculty must play active roles in university governance
So, now we’re in a crucial period for prioritising legacy fundraising. The past six years have seen the University of Liverpool doing just that, with legacy income accounting for 21 per cent of our total philanthropic income for financial year 2024/2025. We continue to strive to improve our strategic, impactful and meaningful approach to legacy stewardship, and even received a high commendation for legacy administration in the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards 2025.
From what we’ve learned so far, here’s what we can recommend for those wanting to grow their legacy-giving income.
Getting internal buy-in
Legacy giving should be integrated into the university’s long-term fundraising strategy but success also hinges on wider internal support. This means building awareness across the university’s schools and departments. Legacy giving can feel like a sensitive subject, but highlighting what it achieves can make people more comfortable with it.
Internal comms and intranets provide a great opportunity to share the history and impact of legacy gifts at your institution. Human resources can play a significant role; if staff have access to a will-writing service, this can become a conversation prompt. A school or faculty receiving a legacy gift offers another route; use these moments to develop relationships with staff and advocate for legacy fundraising.
Inspiring alumni and your wider community
Legacy officers are like gardeners: a lot of legacy fundraising is simply about planting that seed of awareness and encouraging that seed to grow into fruitful giving, rather than making a direct ask. There are many opportunities to do so, for example:
- Legacy library: Collect stories of impactful gifts and share them on your giving webpages, on social media and in fundraising communications.
- Alumni magazine and newsletters: Include a legacy section in your alumni magazine with QR codes or links to giving pages, and spotlight legacy stories from donors or beneficiaries in newsletters.
- Annual ‘giving’ events: Toot the legacy trumpet around annual calendar fixtures such as Free Wills Month (March and October), and September’s International Legacy Giving Day and Remember a Charity Week.
- University website: Keep your legacy page simple and inspiring with links to stories about gifts, and a clear call to contact you for more information.
Looking after your supporters
Thanking supporters who have pledged a gift is super important, and their legacy journey can also be a long one, so stewardship with regular, relevant communications is vital. And don’t forget bereaved families and friends; follow up to tell them about the difference their loved one’s gift has made.
Events can also be a great way of inspiring or thanking supporters, and of deepening relationships. Here are some ideas:
- Celebrate existing gifts: If legacies fund buildings, events such as a lecture series or an education programme, invite living legators to see this first-hand, including how you pay tribute to such gifts. At Liverpool we have the Lucrezia Zaina Bequest Lecture Series, the John Hamilton Lecture Series and the Professor Peers Symposium.
- Piggyback on existing events: Include legacy supporters and families of legators in broader supporter recognition events. We invite them to the university’s annual “thank you” for supporters so they feel our appreciation and that they are part of the “family”.
- Run estate-planning workshops: A local solicitor or law alumnus could give advice about planning a will, inheritance tax benefits or setting up a trust. An academic could speak about how a legacy has enhanced their research or a student could share how they have benefitted from a scholarship.
Consider your audience
Of course, legacy fundraising is about securing long-term sustainable income, so you’ll want to plant those seeds with younger generations, too. Always be mindful of people’s life stage: alumni in their 30s may be marrying, having children and writing their first will; in their 50s, becoming grandparents, planning retirement and updating their will; and in their 70s, revising their will because of age, health or bereavement.
By embedding the value of legacy fundraising internally, telling powerful stories externally, and stewarding carefully, we can unlock a lasting income stream that supports our institutions and students far into the future.
Carolyn Jones is legacy officer at the University of Liverpool. She was a Crispin Ellison bursary winner in 2021 and has been a judge for the Legacy Giving awards in 2024 and 2025.
If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.
comment