Legacy Foresight’s In-Memory Insight programme explores in-memory giving in the UK, providing robust evidence to shape fundraising strategies and promote the value of in-memory income within charities.

For the 2023/4 programme the focus of our research was a deep dive into in-memory products, taking a fresh look at the market, understanding how it is evolving, and exploring what’s next.

In-memory products include anything a charity offers to satisfy the desire to remember a loved one in exchange for a donation.

The programme included a number of research stages. An audit of150 charities was carried out to map the product landscape and identify patterns and changes over time and qualitative research explored the supporter experience with different in-memory products. And the consortium members survey and case studies highlighted the current offerings and best practices. We also carried out our annual performance benchmarking, to help In-Memory teams guide their strategy, set targets and make the case for investment.

Key Findings

Bereaved supporters are constantly seeking out different ways to remember and celebrate their loved ones and we uncovered a wide range of products already being offered by charities to answer this need. However, our research also showed that there is clear headroom for charities to offer an even greater range of in-memory products to cater for an increasingly diverse audience.

Internal communication: Supporters connect with charities across various interfaces, which makes it really important for the in-memory team to communicate effectively across the organisation.

Product Gaps: Gaps were identified between supporters' desires and the available products, suggesting that there is potential for new and creative in-memory products.

Offering Choice: In-memory giving is deeply personal, supporters value having choices, but charities must honour and respect these when supporters express their preferences.

Opportunities for Charities

Our research identified five key opportunities for charities.

1. Grief Support: Addressing the need for grief support, either directly or through partnerships.
2. Storytelling: Better utilising storytelling to promote in-memory giving and inspire others.
3. Regular Giving: Recognising the potential of regular in-memory donations, which could be linked to significant dates.
4. Volunteering: Acknowledging the in-memory motivations of volunteers and reflecting this in volunteer care.
5. Charity Shops: Better recognising in-memory motivations of people donating to or engaging with charity shops.

Importance of religious motivation and cultural traditions

Our research really underscored the importance of religion and cultural traditions as a driver of in-memory giving, with numerous respondents referring to their own, or their loved one’s faith. Charities that understood and catered for this seemed to benefit from in-memory donations that might otherwise have been directed elsewhere.

What's next?

Our next cycle of learning: In-Memory Giving in Multicultural Britain starts soon!

In-Memory Insight 2024/5 will explore the important area of multi-cultural and multi-ethnic in-memory giving. This project is an opportunity to better understand the nuances, commonalities and differences between in-memory supporters from different faiths and cultural groups and how they engage with in-memory giving. As a result, this will enable charities to accommodate and tailor their in-memory communications and offerings to be more inclusive and gain new supporters.

If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting programme, you can read the Proposal for more information. The deadline to sign up is 9th September. We’d love you to join us!