FirstClass wins first place after scooping national award

FirstClass, the UK's leading legacy management software provider, has won the Outstanding Partner to the Sector Award at the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards 2024.


Out of a pool of 108 finalists, FirstClass emerged as one of the 20 national award winners and was presented with the accolade at a ceremony hosted by comedian Lucy Porter, which welcomed 300 guests and took place at the Hilton Bankside on 18 April.

 

The judging panel, which included 42 prominent figures from the legacy community, assessed FirstClass on its ambition, excellence and outcome and decided that the legacy management expert, who has been serving the legacy sector for almost three decades, was a worthy winner.


FirstClass's bequest management platform is an industry 'gold standard' for organisations and teams managing bequests. The platform is used not only by charities but also by high-profile benchmarking organisations and industry authorities such as Legacy Foresight and Legacy Link. 


As of 2024, FirstClass has 500 users, and together, these users manage a combined bequest revenue of £1.4bn. 


On receiving the prize, Rich Mullens, Product Director for FirstClass, said:

"We're incredibly proud that our product and the hard work of those who continually develop it has been recognised at a national level.

FirstClass has been helping charities manage and maximise their bequest revenue for nearly 30 years, which is a huge achievement in itself. However, this award goes to the team, which, through its tireless work and a continued commitment to providing charities with what they need to manage, track and monitor legacy revenue, has set the benchmark when it comes to bequest management software."

Polly Avgherinos, Managing Director at Smee & Ford, adds:

"The Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards are dedicated to celebrating the incredible work of legacy professionals, giving individuals and teams an opportunity to showcase their work and gain recognition. 


"It's been wonderful to see the positive response for these awards from the sector with a significant increase in participation producing more entries, more judges, more attendees and more finalists this year!"


For more information on the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards 2024, visit legacygivingawards.co.uk. 


For more information on FirstClass, visit www.firstclass-software.com. 

Inspiring Legacies with RCS

By Fiona Paton • November 24, 2025
Charities are experiencing a major shift. Supporters now expect digital-first, mobile-first communication - they want to engage in ways that feel personal, transparent, and effortless. Social media is great for sharing impact stories, but when it comes to deeper, more meaningful conversations - like inspiring someone to leave a gift in their Will - charities need something more powerful and more trusted. Traditionally, mobile messaging has been used for quick text-to-donate campaigns or sending reminders. But imagine if that same channel could nurture long-term relationships, build trust, and spark legacy pledges. That’s exactly where RCS (Rich Communication Services) can make a meaningful difference. RCS is the first major upgrade to mobile messaging in 20 years. It offers an enhanced, more interactive experience compared with SMS, giving charities a way to reach supporters with messages that feel modern, secure, and genuinely helpful. Here’s why RCS is so relevant for legacy fundraising: Secure & trusted: Your charity’s name and logo appear as a verified sender, giving supporters instant reassurance that your message is authentic. Connected & seamless: Messages land directly in supporters’ native messaging inboxes on Android and iOS — no apps to install and no additional steps. Engaging & interactive: You can add images, buttons, carousels, and track engagement in real time, making each message a richer opportunity to inspire and inform. For charities, this means you can reach warm, highly engaged audiences — those most likely to consider a gift in their Will — with content that feels personal, trustworthy, and uplifting. Instead of a plain text reminder, imagine sending a beautifully branded message containing a story of impact, a short video, or a simple button to learn more about pledging a legacy. It’s a small upgrade in channel, but a big step forward in supporter experience. Looking ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for mobile messaging. And the timing couldn’t be better. Legacy giving in the UK reached £4.5 billion in 2024 , a 9 percent increase on the previous year, and forecasts show legacy income is set to more than double by 2050 as the Baby Boomer generation finalises its estate planning. The opportunity is significant — but only if charities adopt communication tools that match how supporters want to connect today. With over 600 UK brands already using RCS , and early adopters seeing up to three times more engagement than SMS , the question isn’t whether charities should embrace RCS. It’s why wait at all? Bring your messaging to life and get started with RCS today. Get in touch for a journey towards richer messaging, better engagement, and higher conversions

The Hidden Power of Legacy Income

By Fiona Paton • November 18, 2025
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FirstClass goes Global

By Fiona Paton • November 4, 2025
The background International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was founded in 1969, with the aim of stopping the commercial hunt for whitecoat seals on the east coast of Canada. IFAW has grown into a charity that works across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. IFAW is dedicated to building a world where animals and people can thrive together on a healthy planet. Through its work in the fields of biodiversity conservation and wildlife rescue, IFAW has had a major impact on ecosystems and communities around the world. With a third of the charity’s income stemming from legacies, IFAW has been using FirstClass to streamline, manage, and monitor this crucial revenue stream from its UK office for over 10 years. However, its international counterparts were using disparate systems that were incurring significantly more administration time than would have been required when using one standardised legacy management platform. In 2025, the decision to implement FirstClass across six new international territories was taken.