Legacy Conversations: The Takeaways That Matter

Legacy Conversations: The Takeaways That Matter

IDPE's Annabel Green set the scene:

"Benchmarking tells us legacy giving accounts for around 20% of total funds raised across the sector, and 72% of schools report legacy income each year."

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IDPE's recent "Legacy Conversations" panel brought together three very different perspectives. Jack Clark spoke on running a legacy programme at Taunton School. Our co-founder Nick Adams covered the coming overhaul of Wills law. Natalie Butt of Crowe walked through the tax changes reshaping how donors think about their estates.

Each looked at legacy through a different lens. Here are our main takeaways:

Stewardship is the unglamorous engine

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"You reap what your predecessors sow."

Jack Clark, on how Taunton's early decision to prioritise legacies is only now bearing fruit.

That fruit is now visible on the school’s grounds. A chapel, sports facilities and two new boarding houses that, as Jack puts it, simply wouldn't be possible without legacies. Behind results like these sit a few simple habits:

• Recognise supporters the moment they pledge - a named society, a donor board, benches, plaques and named rooms, so they can picture how they will be remembered
• Let donors tell their own story - Jack interviews legators on why they give, which cements the gift and carries real weight with executors later
• Talk about it often, and to everyone - frame a legacy as one of several ways to give, to every age group, not just the oldest alumni

Stewardship is slow and quiet work, but it compounds. Recognise supporters well and stay close to them, and a pledge becomes a gift that comes to fruition.

The decision window is earlier than most schools target

• Instinct is to treat legacy as an older-alumni conversation - Nick made the case that this misses the people who will matter most
• The 35 to 65 cohort is rarely targeted - yet they are the ones hitting the life events: marriage, children, a house move, a bereavement
• Fewer than 1 in 2 adults in England and Wales have a valid Will - and the intent to write one tends to arrive in those middle years

The intent is already there. The opportunity is to meet it at the right moment, before another cause does.

The law is about to make Will-writing easier

• The Wills Act 1837 still governs Wills - 180-year-old law written when Victoria took the throne
• The proposed Wills Act 2026 would make electronic Wills valid alongside paper - executed by biometrics and remote video witnessing, not wet ink
• Courts would gain dispensing powers - so Wills are not voided on technicalities like a coffee stain or a staple

Though it is still a draft Bill, the direction is clear. Even though paper Wills will still be valid, what changes is how many people write one. Every new Will is another chance for your institution to be remembered.

From April 2027, pensions change the conversation

• Most unused pension funds and lump sum death benefits become part of the estate for inheritance tax, regardless of whether they sit in a defined contribution or defined benefit scheme
• For wealthier donors, the combined effect of inheritance tax and income tax on drawdown can reach up to 67%, depending on the beneficiary's tax position and the age of the pension holder at death
• Leave at least 10% of the net estate to charity and the inheritance tax rate on the taxable remainder drops from 40% to 36%. The charitable gift itself is exempt from inheritance tax entirely

Asking a supporter about their pension is now becoming a more natural entry point than asking about their Will, and the 2027 changes give a reason to start those conversations now.

What to do with it

The barriers are coming down, the tax window opens in 2027, and the supporters worth talking to are increasing. We think the schools that benefit the most will be the ones already having these conversations, warmly and often.

If you would like to talk through what a legacy campaign could look like for you, we are always happy to have that conversation.

Where adeus fits

adeus works with schools and universities to build legacy programmes that engage supporters across a lifetime, not just at the end of one.

In practice, adeus provides a co-branded Will and Legacy Planning solution designed to reduce friction for giving, with campaign support aligned to your calendar moments and Know Your Donor reporting to help you identify and steward legacy prospects over time.

To find out more, email talktome@adeus.life

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Contributed by Jonathan Ng, Head of Partnerships at adeus

As Head of Partnerships at adeus, Jonathan works with schools and other institutions to build and grow legacy giving programmes through a modern, digital-first approach. He leads partner relationships from early conversations through to campaign launch, helping organisations shape the right strategy, messaging, and supporter journey. Outside of work, he is a dad of two, which gives him a personal appreciation for legacy, family, and planning for the future.

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