It recognised a team that has transformed its legacy programme by combining data-driven insight and innovation with compassionate stewardship, specialist expertise and a strong focus on the supporter experience.

Over the last 18 months, the Legacy Team has delivered significant growth while strengthening the foundations for future success. Legacy income grew by 10% year on year in 2024/25 and passed £50 million for the first time in 2025/26. The team also secured a substantial increase in new legacy pledges.

For Alzheimer’s Society, legacy income is a vital part of the charity’s long-term resilience, helping to fund the work needed to move closer to ending the devastation of dementia.

But the story behind the numbers is one of a team deliberately changing the way it approaches legacy fundraising, using insight to identify new opportunities, investing in stronger supporter journeys, and putting human connection at the heart of every stage of the legacy experience.

Starting with ambition

The team’s ambition was to build a legacy programme that could grow year after year, deepen supporter trust and strengthen the charity’s long-term sustainability.

Alzheimer’s Society made a strategic decision to invest in legacy fundraising, expand its pipeline, and strengthen the supporter journey. This created the capacity to reach more people, improve engagement, and build a programme capable of sustainable growth.

That investment has transformed the programme. Alongside income growth, the team has improved the journey from initial interest to pledge and increased the proportion of supporters whose pledged gifts are ultimately received.

The focus has therefore been not simply on reaching more people, but on understanding supporters better and building stronger relationships with them.

Using insight to find new opportunities

Data has played an important role in helping the team identify where personal engagement can make the greatest difference.

The team uses audience insight to identify supporters who may welcome more personal contact and relevant legacy information, helping Legacy Officers focus stewardship where it can make the greatest difference. Improved modelling and data capture have strengthened response rates, segmentation, and personalisation without losing the individual behind the data.

The team has also diversified its acquisition activity and developed a highly engaged events programme. This insight-led approach extends beyond the legacy team: research into supporter behaviour has informed successful tests with other donor audiences and created new opportunities to discuss gifts in Wills.

Keeping people at the centre

While data has helped the team identify opportunities, human connection remains central to the programme.

Supporter Engagement colleagues have been trained to hold meaningful legacy conversations, while the team has prioritised two-way dialogue with pledgers rather than transactional communications. Feedback from pledgers has provided valuable insight into their intentions and preferences, strengthening both forecasting and personalised stewardship.

Campaign development is co-designed with supporters and informed by research into what genuinely motivates people to leave a gift in their Will. This reflects a wider principle behind the programme: understand what matters to supporters, then use that insight to make their experience more relevant and meaningful.

Specialist expertise and smarter ways of working

The Legacy Team combines expertise across case management, regional engagement, and marketing, giving the programme capability across the full legacy journey.

The Case Team has continued to manage complex estates with care while delivering strong income performance. In the 18 months before the award, it successfully protected charitable income through mediation, acted as lead charity in a range of multi-charity cases and managed contentious matters with sensitivity and specialist expertise.

The team has also focused on making better use of its resources. Smarter triage systems, automation of lower-risk tasks and data-led prioritisation have helped colleagues focus their time where it can have the greatest impact. Automated email welcome journeys have also improved efficiency and consistency.

This sharper use of resources has increased the programme’s return on investment while supporting a consistent high-quality experience for supporters.

Working across the organisation and beyond

Collaboration has been another important part of the team’s progress. The team has worked closely with in-house digital marketing and data specialists, combining expertise from across the organisation to improve campaign development, deepen insight and make effective use of resources.

The team has also shared its expertise more widely. Colleagues have contributed to cross-sector forums and events, while 83 legal professionals completed Alzheimer’s Society’s professional development training and 93 became Dementia Friends over the last 18 months.

The team’s approach to inclusive campaign development has also been recognised by external specialists. Lived experience is embedded through Dementia Voice and supporter involvement, alongside wider audience research and testing.

Building resilience for the future

The programme has continued to develop despite a challenging fundraising environment. A more diverse mix of activity has helped the team respond to disruption, manage risk, and maintain performance.

The future pipeline is also strengthening. The Free Will Service continues to generate significant estimated future income, supported by improved segmentation, timely personal contact, and more tailored supporter journeys. These changes have helped more enquirers take the next step towards leaving a gift in their Will.

Behind the scenes, improved forecasting and case management have helped the organisation plan with greater confidence, while closer collaboration with probate partners has improved efficiency and helped safeguard donor intent.

What other legacy teams can learn

The Alzheimer’s Society experience shows that growth and compassion can go hand in hand. Data and technology have helped the team identify opportunities and work more efficiently, but they have been used alongside, rather than instead of, human connection. Stronger processes, better forecasting, and improved stewardship have created a programme that is better equipped for future growth.

Perhaps most importantly, the team has shown the value of making legacy fundraising an organisation-wide responsibility. By sharing insight, developing internal capability, and working closely with colleagues across Alzheimer’s Society, the Legacy Team has helped embed gifts in Wills more firmly within the charity’s long-term strategy.

The result is a stronger pipeline, a growing community of pledgers and a legacy programme built for the future, with people affected by dementia at its heart.