Linking charities with legacy income

The background


Legacy Link is the UK’s largest legacy administration team with over 40 legacy consultants, providing outsourced legacy administration services. Its consultants help the charities they work with ensure their supporters’ final wishes are realised by managing the legacy administration process on their behalf - from notification to receipt of the gift.


Specialising in supporting charities of all sizes, from those typically too small to have their own legacy administration teams to some of the largest in the UK, Legacy Link currently works with over 100 charities at any given time. It has also played a role in reshaping legacy administration into the fully professional and critical aspect of charity management it is today.


Legacy Link’s philosophy is built around ensuring the legacy administration process is carried out correctly, and being able to offer big charity best practice to all charities, in a package which meets their individual budget. Legacy Link will work with their charity clients to discover whether the implementation of a robust legacy management system is right for them.

 

That system is FirstClass.

“With FirstClass, charities can gain access to insights and data that simply isn’t available to those who don’t use the system. I work with charities that don’t use FirstClass and charities that do and can say with 100 per cent certainty that those who do, deliver. There is nothing like it on the market. Nothing else comes close.”

 

Paul Browne, Head of Legacy Management at Legacy Link

The approach


On joining the business in 2016, having come from a commercial background where process underpins organisational success, Paul immediately set about recommending a legacy management system to its growing portfolio of clients.


Importantly, as a Director of the Institute for Legacy Management, Paul’s recommendations are impartial. However, as FirstClass has been designed to specifically manage legacy income – unlike general charity CRM and platforms such as Salesforce - there is no challenger to offer the same level of functionality.


These days, Paul and his team use FirstClass to help Legacy Link’s charity clients:

 

  • Understand the bigger picture and timings associated with generating legacy income, such as how long it will take to secure the income and how much time a team will need to invest in order to receive it
  • Access soft data that allows them to better understand what is really going on from a legacy income perspective and provide a true picture of each individual case file
  • Plug directly into HMRC in order to quickly and easily reclaim tax
  • Deliver estate valuations and record all legators’ assets so that they can be continually tracked – considering fluctuations in valuation in line with market peaks and troughs – throughout the entire process
  • Provide immediate reporting on any aspect of data made available through the system
  • Evaluate team value; in some instances, where charities felt that they didn’t have the budget to recruit an additional legacy team member, FirstClass was used to record all the value add within the legacy team and use the findings to illustrate that a new member was not only required, but financially viable
  • Get much more from their legacy management function.


“If someone at a charity is looking for the best way to manage their legacy income, then FirstClass is always the recommendation. It’s a tool that can be used to deliver best practice – as simple as that. On a personal level, I know that I’m the most effective and efficient when using a properly configured FirstClass system, and if you asked any member of the team, they’d say the same thing, too.”

 

Paul Browne, Head of Legacy Management at Legacy Link

Download the case study

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
Imagine a supporter who believes in your mission so deeply that they decide to make it part of their legacy. Long after they’re gone, their gift continues to fuel your work, carrying forward their values and trust in your cause. That’s the hidden power of legacy income - it’s not just funding, it’s a lasting bond between donor and organisation, built on loyalty and commitment. Beyond Paperwork Legacy gifts are one of the most impactful and emotionally significant forms of giving. They represent trust, loyalty, and a donor’s lasting commitment to your cause. But with that trust comes responsibility, and complexity. Managing legacy income isn’t simply about tracking paperwork. It’s about honouring a donor’s final wishes while ensuring their gift makes the greatest possible impact. Yet, many charities still rely on outdated tools or manual processes to manage gifts in wills. The consequences? Delays in processing Missed opportunities to maximise value Unnecessary risks that can erode donor confidence Why a Dedicated Legacy Income System Matters A modern, dedicated system transforms the way organisations handle bequests: Structure → Clear processes using best practices that reduce confusion and errors Visibility → Transparency across teams, ensuring everyone knows the status of each gift Confidence → Reliable data that builds trust with donors, families, and stakeholders This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about safeguarding relationships and ensuring every legacy gift fulfils its intended purpose. Who Benefits? Whether you’re a charity, non‑profit, or higher education institution , getting smarter about how you manage legacy income is vital. With the right system in place, you can: Reduce administrative burden Protect against risk Unlock the full potential of legacy giving The Results of Smarter Legacy Income Management When charities and non‑profits adopt a dedicated legacy income system from FirstClass, the impact is clear: Faster processing & rapid access to records → Gifts are managed efficiently, reducing delays and ensuring funds reach the cause sooner. Income dashboards & financial reports → Real‑time visibility into pipeline, trends, and performance supports confident decision‑making. Customisable templates → Flexible tools that adapt to your processes, reducing admin and saving time. Contact records → Centralised donor and executor information strengthens relationships and ensures transparency. Reduced risk → Accurate records and structured processes protect against errors and safeguard donor trust. Seamless CRM integration → Works smoothly with key CRM partners, ensuring data flows without duplication. Smee and Ford integration → Direct connection to industry‑leading probate data for complete oversight. Stronger relationships → Families and executors feel reassured that gifts are handled with care and transparency. Legacy gifts are too important to be left to outdated processes. By adopting smarter tools, you can honor donor trust, reduce risk, and unlock the full potential of legacy income. Ready to transform how you manage legacy income? Get in touch with us today to see how our solutions can help you build confidence, efficiency, and growth for the future.

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.