Behind the scenes with … FirstClass & Legacy Monitor

Legacy Foresight is the UK’s most prominent legacy market analyst that specialises in benchmarking, research and analysis to generate insights and data for the UK’s legacy market.


Its annual benchmarking consortium programme, Legacy Monitor, has been designed to monitor, analyse and forecast trends in legacy giving. To do this, it draws on data from 81 charities, which accounts for almost half of the UK legacy market by legacy income.


Of the 81 charities that form the consortium, 69 use FirstClass, which makes data retrieval a robust and efficient process for 75 per cent of its members.


But how is this achieved? How do the remaining 25 per cent contribute to the report? And what exactly goes into providing critical data that’s used to underpin a highly regarded industrywide report?


Here, Sean Nelson, Project Manager and Priti Parmar, Client Support & System Testing Consultant at FirstClass, explain.


Sean: There are number of aspects to the Legacy Monitor programme. However, the two main components are the quarterly benchmarking and the annual health check. For both strands, our job is to act as the go-between by taking charities’ data, sense-checking it and supplying it directly to Legacy Foresight.


Priti: At the start of the year, Legacy Foresight provide us with a list of dates and deadlines that we and the charities must adhere to. These form the backbone of the entire programme for the whole year. For example, it means that we know when to issue the first emails to charities, asking them for specific data, when to chase them and when to issue the second round of emails. Working with so many charities, there has to be this structure in place to make data collection at this level manageable.


“The majority of the data supplied to Legacy Monitor comes direct from charities’ FirstClass legacy software. This data can be extracted and transferred easily and efficiently, and is almost always complete and robust. For charities that don’t use FirstClass, the process can be more time consuming and more data quality checks are required”


Kathryn Horsley, Director of Insight at Legacy Foresight


Sean: We begin by grouping the charities into two groups: FirstClass users and non-FirstClass users. For the non-FirstClass users, the emails are bespoke as we attach the respective charities spreadsheet containing previously supplied data covering the last six years. The charity add data for the latest quarter & update the historical data if required.  FirstClass users are provided with a blank spreadsheet that is populated with data copied directly from reports from FirstClass.  We ask for pecuniary, residual and other income/bequests spanning these timeframes.  We have also recently starting requesting additional data for high value legacies.


Priti: Generally speaking, once the charities have completed and returned the spreadsheets, it’s our job to review the data, check the figures and spot any anomalies.  For example, if the figures are unusually low or high compared with previous years, we’ll flag it with the charity, which generally has a reason for this. We’ll then log the reasons and include any other comments when passing that charity’s data on to Legacy Foresight.


Sean: With FirstClass, there is no need for charities to copy and paste their data into the spreadsheet. The charity simply runs the necessary reports, which takes five minutes compared with the vast amount of time non-FirstClass users will need to manually locate and input the same data. If a charity fails to supply their data, we have to ask Legacy Foresight to estimate the figures on their behalf. However, we’ll always give them advance warning of our intentions – and this is usually prompts them to supply a completed spreadsheet.


Priti: Once we have all the data – the FirstClass reports and the spreadsheets – we consolidate it and place it in the Cloud in such a way that it can be manipulated by Legacy Foresight, so that if they want to create tables and graphs, for instance, they can. The Legacy Monitor team then go through it all with a fine toothcomb and use the data and insights to produce the report that our industry knows and trusts.


“If you really want to understand the dynamics and performance of your legacy income, then you need access to as much robust data as you can possibly acquire. FirstClass is not only a tool that allows its users to do just that, but combined with the Legacy Monitor programme, it also has the capacity to empower charities to make more informed, strategic decisions for their legacy programme.”



Kathryn Horsley, Director of Insight at Legacy Foresight


Thinking about maximising your organisation’s legacy gifting programme? Interested in speaking with the UK’s legacy management software specialists? Contact the FirstClass team on +44(0)1257 272730 or email info@firstclass-software.com

Pilot Project Launched to Support Free Wills Month

By Fiona Paton • July 31, 2025
To shine a light on October’s Free Wills Month , an initiative designed to offer those aged 55 and over the chance to have straightforward wills written or updated free of charge, FirstClass and sister company Cymba have joined forces and are partnering with the Institute of Legacy Management (ILM) to launch a project that illustrates the impact mobile messaging has on legacy giving. Whilst mobile messaging is typically associated with text-to-donate campaigns, the partnership between two companies that sit within ClearCourse’s stable of brands will showcase how this technology can be used to inspire people to leave legacies in their wills. The webinar, entitled “ How to Boost traffic to your Free Wills and Legacy pages ”, will be jointly hosted by the FirstClass and Cymba teams, and explore how emerging Rich Communications Services (RCS) technology, the evolution of SMS, can be used to drive engagement when it comes to legacy giving. The event will also provide charities with insights into how they can build trust when it comes to increasing donations and gifts by revealing tried and tested messaging formats that drive action. Charities will also learn how to highlight their free wills and legacy pages by harnessing RCS’s ability to implement branded quick-action buttons, and understand the difference in outcomes between SMS and RCS messaging via a dedicated split testing session. In the lead up to the webinar, which takes place on 11 September at 10:30 am, Cymba and FirstClass will be running test campaigns with several of the UK’s prominent charities, the results of which will be revealed during the session. On the event, Rich Mullens, Director at Cymba and FirstClass, comments: “ Regular givers are often among the most open to leaving a legacy. In this webinar, we’ll show charities how mobile messaging can help them engage these supporters more effectively and drive meaningful traffic, not only for donations but also to inspire gifts in wills. We’re delighted to unite these two brands, both of which are founded on helping charities boost donations via mobile messaging and increase their legacy giving, and we’re confident that attendees will leave feeling inspired to use new approaches. ” The new Data (Use and Access) Bill, which gives charities greater freedom to use the soft opt-in by enabling them to contact past supporters with relevant legacy messages without needing fresh consent, removes barriers to utilising RCS. This means that the benefits of RCS, such as the ability to use logos, images, video, and tap-to-act buttons, can be quickly and efficiently embraced by charities looking to incorporate this emerging technology. For more information on Cymba, FirstClass, and Free Wills Month, visit https://www.cymba.co.uk , https://www.firstclass-software.com , and https://freewillsmonth.org.uk ,  respectively.

ILM Annual Conference 2025: Highlights from the FirstClass lounge

June 2, 2025
FirstClass hosted an exclusive breakout space at the ILM Annual Conference 2025, and it was a great experience! Discover the event highlights and our team’s thoughts on the experience.

Three things we're looking forward to at the ILM Annual Conference

May 7, 2025
Are you attending this year's ILM Annual Conference? Discover three reasons why the FirstClass team is excited about this year's legacy management event.