LEGACY FUTURES REVEALS ITS 2023 BURSARY WINNERS

[MAY SAW THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the winners of the Legacy Futures Bursary Awards 2023. The organisers, Legacy Futures, received a record number of applications this year, posing a difficult task for the independent panel of judges to narrowed them down to six worthy winners.

The winner of the International Award, which supports organisations outside the UK who want to grow through legacy giving, was Will Power – the Canadian legacy giving campaign. The judges of the International Award – Tracey King of Deakin University and Elly Lont of LegacyGiving.eu – were impressed with the level of research and innovation already happening in the campaign, in particular how they are reaching out across generations and encouraging a wider group of people to consider leaving a gift to a Canadian charity in their will.

Will Power’s director Laurie Fox commented: “I was thrilled to find out Will Power had won Legacy Future’s International bursary! We’re at a stage in this national campaign where it’s time to take things to the next level and inspire even more charitable gifts in wills in Canada. Winning a mentorship from some of the world’s leaders in legacy thinking could not have been better timing.”

The Future Leader Bursary winners were Laura Wilkinson of Blind Veterans UK, Kim Greed of Blood Cancer UK and Catherine House of The Queen’s College, Oxford University.

The judges – Abbie Barton of Marie Curie (a 2022 winner) and Lucinda Frostick, director of Remember A Charity – felt that each of these future leaders demonstrated exceptional fundraising abilities and strategic thinking and that they would benefit and grow from the sixmonth mentorship offered to award winners.

The Crispin Ellison Bursary, named after the first director of the Institute of Legacy Management, aims to further professional development in legacy administration. There were two winners of the Crispin Ellison Bursary this year: Arian Thornton of Marie Curie and Laura Simpson-Toyn of Bransby Horses. Each will receive training from the Institute of Legacy Management (ILM) to the value of £1,000.

The judges – Emma Newell of Claire House Children’s Hospice (a 2022 winner) and Matthew Lagden, director of the ILM – felt that each of these future leaders demonstrated a breadth of skills, talent and passion that will serve them well as they develop their careers as legacy professionals.

The awards were founded as part of Legacy Futures’ mission to do all they can to support the sector and its fundraisers. The organisers expressed their thanks to every person and organisation who took the time to enter and share their great work – and, of course, the panel of judges for their commitment to the awards.

“Huge congratulations to the winners! We’re excited to see what comes next in their gifts in wills and in-memory fundraising.” q