Sarah Seddon is Head of Planned Giving at Combat Stress, a charity founded in 1919, providing specialist mental health treatment and support to UK veterans with military-related trauma.
In 2023, gifts in Wills contributed around £2.5m, funding 1 in 5 of the veterans they support. This is a vital form of funding as over the last three years, the charity has seen a 44% increase in the number of veterans contacting it for help.
Coming from a military family and as a mum of two sons in the Armed Forces, the charity is a cause very close to Sarah’s heart. After seven and a half years in her role, her passion burns as brightly as ever – here she tells us more about why kindness is so important and the challenges of not being a ‘mainstream’ charity:
I absolutely love my job.
Previously I worked in high tech, but I had done quite a lot of volunteer fundraising for military charities. Although it sounds corny, I had hit a point where I wanted to do something that made a difference, so what better way to do than put my efforts into working for a charity that has such an impact on the lives of those who have served and subsequently need help, it’s a cause so close to my heart.
When I joined, it was the first time legacies had been separated out from general fundraising. I was effectively given a blank slate, and when the charity subsequently brought legacy administration in-house, I completed the CiCLA course and various ILM training programmes, and am currently going through the Diploma in Charity Legacy Management. All of this training has been essential in helping me fulfill my role.
Collaboration, co-operation and communication
I don’t think there are many who, like me, do both fundraising and legacy administration but with the ILM training available, this number is sure to increase. There’s something rather special to being involved in both the fundraising and the legacy administration. It can be bitter-sweet though, when a supporter I’ve been in contact with for years sadly dies.
As a small fundraising team, we work really collaboratively, so if I’m chatting to someone who is planning to leave a gift in their Will and they mention they work for a company that fundraises, I ask if my colleague in our corporate team can have a chat or vice versa. We’re very co-operative in the way we work and keen to spot opportunities in general, which is as it should be.
I probably spend about two days a week on the legal administration side, which can be fascinating, but if I’m honest, my favourite thing is talking with supporters and hearing their reasons for supporting our work and making those connections.
We try to thank as much as possible; we’re very conscious supporters don’t have to give, and they don’t have to give to Combat Stress. If they allow us to call them then we pick up the phone to thank, which can slightly throw them because it can be ‘you haven’t asked me for anything’ and we say ‘no, it’s just that you’ve supported us for many years and we’re incredibly grateful, you’ve helped make such a tremendous difference…’.
As with all charities, we’re very much guided by our supporters. There’s nothing worse than someone calling if you don’t want to be contacted in this way and we’re very aware of how we talk with people. We want it to be a positive experience, and it very much goes to knowing our supporters by listening to them and understanding what they want from us as a charity. I never forget people will choose who they want to leave a legacy to, it’s always their choice and I hope by sharing with them what’s achieved, they’ll choose Combat Stress.
I also make a point to thank the solicitors when an estate is completed because, yes they are doing their job, but they also put a lot of work in to make these wonderful gifts possible. I do remember one time, a solicitor saying they are so rarely thanked, so it’s a ‘feel good’ once administration is complete.
We also work very co-operatively with other military charities, we’re not in competition and supporters expect us all to be doing the best for veterans.
Passion
Leaving a legacy is a big ask because it’s something so very personal. To write a charity into a Will, a supporter has to trust that a charity will spend the money in the way they would choose when they’re not about. They have to believe the charity will still be here in 5, 10, 20 years’ time, and they have to believe in the cause. That’s where I believe we all make a difference, by bringing our passion for our charities’ work into our area.
As a charity, we know we aren’t ‘mainstream’. I don’t mind when people call us ‘niche’ because yes, we are; we are experts in veterans’ mental health. This is what we do, we have a real impact, and we change veterans’ lives for the better.
To support a military charity, the chances are a supporter will be warm to the Armed Forces, or they have had a loved one who has served or is serving. They’ll believe in the duty of care we owe …but I know we won’t appeal to everybody, which is absolutely fine and we understand that. We just have to make sure we are talking to the people that we do appeal to. Again, it’s knowing your supporters.
Lay executors
When we’re dealing with lay executors, we know they tend to be either family members or close friends and they have lost someone they love. How we treat people is probably the cornerstone of what we do. Legacy administrators are very aware of this and we all are very mindful in how we communicate. This is part of the kindness so necessary in our role in legacy administration whilst still ensuring we fulfill our duties as legacy teams.
I do think it’s important that, as a charity, we share with family and friends that, from their loved one’s incredible kindness (of leaving a legacy), there’s been a tangible impact on the lives of veterans and their families. It might be, this is how many clinical treatment programmes we have been able to run, this is how many Helpline calls we’ve been able to answer, whilst also sharing the stories of veterans (who agree to do so) who have received treatment.
It means although the family and friends are dealing with their loss, they can see that their loved one’s kindness is living on and making a real difference. That really is a legacy to be proud of.
Personal touch
In April, at the Smee & Ford Awards, we were delighted to win the ILM-sponsored Excellence in Donor Journey & Pledger Stewardship award. Our entry was centered around how we look after our supporters, with the the key message being we treat people the way we’d like to be treated and by listening to what they want from us.
I think part of the way we can tell if what we are doing is having an impact, is that when we send out updates, we invariably receive lots of handwritten notes, emails or calls back from supporters. We hope they connect with us in the way we connect with them, it’s very much about the personal touch.
We always remember supporters don’t have to support us, we are their charity, it’s not the other way around, so if we don’t share our gratitude, show the impact they are having and thank them, there will be other charities who will.
Sharing stories internally
I am fortunate as our fundraising director understands the value of building relationships with supporters and is very supportive of what we’re doing. I share internally any good news and feedback we get and thank other teams when the work they are doing has generated legacy enquiries; it all goes back to working collaboratively.
We always aim to remember the person behind the legacy as well…one lady came to a talk in 1985 in a hospital, she was a nurse, and one of our clinicians was talking about treating veterans with complex mental health issues. She subsequently started supporting us with a direct debit and buying Christmas cards from us for many years and then she sadly died. I was in contact with the family, who were the lay executors, sharing how grateful we were their mother supported us for so many years in different ways.
They then shared her story, her interests in veterans’ mental health and I was able to talk about our treatment programmes and how their mother’s support had helped. After that, the daughter started supporting us, and so the family’s support went to the next generation. I shared this internally so our clinical colleagues could see how that talk so many years ago had resonated with this lady so much so, that she chose to support us and that their impact is that this family has continued their support … all from a talk in 1985!
Legacies are the cargo ship of fundraising
I see legacies as the cargo ship of fundraising, rather than the speedboat.
With a cargo ship, it takes lots of effort to get it moving, and it’s not obvious at first. It’s also the same when it starts to slow down, you don’t see it, which is the same for legacies. There needs to be a constant effort to make sure that we’re always looking for opportunities to share what the impact is of legacy giving and what it achieves. Yes, the exciting challenges supporters do are wonderful, the ‘speedboat’ in fundraising, but I get excited when the phone rings or I get an email or letter where a supporter shares why they have written Combat Stress into their Will – it’s a different ‘buzz’ to, say a sky dive, but it’s there.
Like many charities, each month I produce reports and figures to understand if the fundraising we are doing is having an impact. For example, if we’ve had a lot of interest from a particular impact mailing or something we’ve shared. Can we learn from the results, are supporters happy with what we’re doing? It’s very different from legacy administration type of reporting we all have to do, but it all links together.
As legacy fundraisers know, it’s not just about the numbers though, it’s also keeping the senior leadership team aware of what is happening, so they are comfortable the ‘cargo ship’ is still moving ahead and understanding results aren’t ever immediate.
That’s why I think the ‘Love Your Legacy Manager’ campaign is such a brilliant initiative and a fantastic way to highlight the work of legacy management teams who tend to be beavering away in the background which can go unnoticed.
We might be seen and the less ‘exciting’ generating income stream, but in terms of possibilities of legacies and what they can achieve, we are helping make a real difference to our charities who are the backbone of society.
Legacies are the final, ultimate gift from a supporter, the trust in our work. What better motivation can there be for us?
