A NATIONAL campaign urging older people to donate to charity in their will was launched yesterday. Some 40 charities and NGOs have joined together under Legacy Promotion Ireland (LPI) to make the TV appeal targeted at the country’s over 55s.
“The older members of our population are ‘liquid poor’ but ‘cash rich’ and therefore legacy giving is a perfect method of giving for older people,” Nicola Mullen, chair of Legacy Promotion Ireland, said at the campaign launch.
“Our aim is to reach out to these people and their financial advisers in a very sensitive way and ask them to think about leaving a legacy in their will to create a better future for others,” she added.
The new TV advertising campaign is aimed at people over 55. “Research has found that they were the most receptive and very positive and excited about the notion of legacy giving,” Ms Mullen said.
Just 12 per cent of Irish adults have included a charity as a beneficiary to their will, research has shown.
While leaving a legacy relates to the sensitive topic of death, the campaign tries to rise above that, be uplifting and show people that they have an opportunity to “be the change they want to see in the world”, Ms Mullen said.
“We are very fortune as a lot of people across the country have had huge affinity to the cause,” Jill Clark, head of fundraising with the Irish Cancer Society, said.
“Many people think of us because they have had cancer or their mother or sister has had cancer and it has personally affected their lives,” she said
“It is a real challenge for fundraisers to continue to attract funds in uncertain and ambiguous times as donors tend to become more nervous,” she said, adding that there are a lot of potential donors who do not think to name a charity in their will.
Legacy Promotion Ireland was established in 2003 by a small group of charities to promote the idea of donations in wills. The group has grown to represent 40 charities including Alzheimer Society of Ireland, the Irish Cancer Society, Amnesty International, Concern and the ISPCA.
Further information is available on www.mylegacy.ie
