Weldmar Hospicecare has been nominated in no less than four categories at a leading fundraising awards ceremony, focusing on legacy giving – gifts left to charities in wills.
The Smee and Ford Legacy Giving Awards take place in London this April, recognising excellence in a growing and competitive area of fundraising.
The four categories that Weldmar are shortlisted in are:
- Outstanding Legacy Fundraising Achievement 2023
- Most Innovative Legacy Campaign
- Outstanding Achievement by a Legacy Fundraising Team
- Excellence in Legacy Pledger Stewardship
The campaign to encourage local people to leave an affordable gift in their will to Weldmar was given a fresh new look in 2022, and focused on real members of the nursing and care team at the charity. The strapline of ‘To those who need end of life care in Dorset, I leave…’ is followed by the name of the staff member pictured. The campaign has been seen on social media and online, in local magazines, on buses, radio, and even on a Sky TV advert. It also formed the basis of Weldmar’s Make A Will Month in October 2022, where a number of local solicitors exchanged their time to write wills for local people for donations to the charity instead of their usual fee.
Less than 4% of the income received in supporters’ legacies is invested back into the advertising of the campaign.
The award entries were reviewed and assessed by a judging panel that includes some of the biggest names from across the charitable legacies community. The shortlisting was based on matching the criteria for Excellence, Innovation and Impact, with the judges attributing scores against a transparent system aimed at recognising and rewarding inspirational legacy teams and individuals.
April Whitehead is Major Gifts and Partnerships Lead in Weldmar’s fundraising team, and says, “The importance of gifts left to Weldmar in wills cannot be underestimated, which is why we invest so much time and effort into it. All of these gifts, big and small, pay for the specialist end of life care received by one in three of our patients, and writing your will now means that we have sustainable income in the future, meaning we can continue to provide care for adults in Dorset who have a life limiting illness, as well as supporting their families.
“It was lovely to be able to use members of our team in the campaign, as it has really connected with local people. Our thanks got to Julie and Sandra at our Inpatient Unit, and to Maxine and Bonnie from our Weldmar at Home team, who have been the ‘faces’ of the campaign. We’re delighted to have been shortlisted in these awards, which is a great reflection of the hard work of everyone involved.”
Polly Avgherinos, Managing Director of Smee & Ford said: “We would like to congratulate Weldmar Hospicecare on being nominated in four categories ahead of the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards. We are looking forward to welcoming them to the ceremony in April, to join us in recognising and celebrating the talent, commitment and passion of people working in legacies and the important work they do on behalf of legators, charities and their beneficiaries.”
Weldmar Fundraising Team
Bonnie Bus