With sources of public funding under ongoing pressure, Scotland’s arts and heritage sectors could be missing out on millions of pounds of fundraising potential in the form of individual legacy giving, legacy fundraising expert Richard Radcliffe (above) has warned.
Richard Radcliffe will visit Glasgow later this week to speak at independent charity Arts & Business Scotland’s latest Development Forum, a regular gathering of practitioners from across Scotland’s arts, heritage and business communities to discuss issues of common interest.
A key aim of these Development Forums is also to encourage participation in the Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage (RSH) training programme. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and run by Arts & Business Scotland, the aim of the RSH programme is to develop fundraising skills, particularly in the Scottish heritage sector but also in the arts.
Richard Radcliffe, Founder of Radcliffe Consulting, has many years of legacy fundraising expertise, providing indepth advice to some of the UK’s leading cultural organisations on successful legacy fundraising strategies. These include the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Academy British Museum, the Glyndebourne Opera House and the National Theatre.
Through a series of recent focus groups in Scotland, Radcliffe has established that almost one in five Scots currently has a charitable legacy in their will but that up to one third of the Scottish population plans to leave money to a charitable cause in their will in the future. With around one million Scots currently aged over 65 and assuming an average individual legacy donation of £15,000, this equates to £5 billion of potential legacies to the Scottish charity sector over the next 30 years – equivalent to £165 million per year.
Meanwhile, official figures show the cultural sector to be the fastest growing recipient of legacy donations in the UK. But Richard Radcliffe remains concerned that Scotland’s arts and heritage sectors are not taking proper advantage of the fundraising potential of legacies. He argues that this problem is further compounded by the fact that Scottish charities seem particularly reluctant to source additional funding from legacies compared to their counterparts south of the border.
Recognising that legacy planning can be a sensitive issue, Richard Radcliffe plans to take the opportunity of his speech to the forthcoming Development Forum to reassure arts and heritage organisations that it should not be viewed as a topic that is ‘off limits’ and to guide them through the process of developing a successful legacy funding pipeline. Radcliffe’s speech will also cover topics such as identifying and reaching prospects and legators and providing practical information to potential donors.
Commenting ahead of his Glasgow visit, Richard Radcliffe said: “Based on the work I have done speaking to members of the public in Scotland through a series of recent focus groups, there is huge potential for legacy giving to the Scottish arts and heritage sectors to grow over the coming decades.
“Potentially, we could see the value of charity legacies almost doubling over the next 30 years with one in three Scots planning to leave money to charitable causes in their wills in the future compared to one in five who are already committed to doing so right now.”
Arts & Business Scotland Chief Executive David Watt commented: “We are delighted that Mr Radcliffe, an expert in legacy fundraising, will be here in Scotland to guide our members and other interested cultural organisations on the huge potential legacy giving has to offer as a growing future source of funding – one that has yet to be taken proper advantage of by Scotland’s arts and heritage sectors.
“Diversifying fundraising into private sources such as legacies is particularly relevant at a time when public sector budgets for culture continue to be under significant pressure. Any arts and heritage organisations with an interest in the issue of legacy funding are welcome to attend the forthcoming Arts & Business Scotland Development Forum in Glasgow and enjoy the full benefit of Mr Radcliffe’s expertise.”
The Arts & Business Scotland Development Forum takes place from 2.30pm to 6.30pm at the Studio, 67 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 6AE this Friday (23rd February). Tickets for the event can be booked online by visiting www.aandbscotland.org.uk/events.
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