FirstClass gets shortlisted as a finalist for the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards 2024!

The FirstClass team is delighted to announce we have been shortlisted for ‘Outstanding Partner to the Legacy Sector’ at the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards 2024, recognising and celebrating our outstanding achievement and skill in the legacy sector.


Being shortlisted for a Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Award provides FirstClass with an independent validation of our hard work and commitment to legacy giving and helps to benchmark achievements with peers across the UK. This much deserved recognition has helped boost confidence and demonstrates how we’re helping reward the skill and dedication of the people involved in this vital sector.


The award entries were reviewed and assessed by a judging panel that includes some of the biggest names from across the charitable legacies’ community. To be shortlisted as a finalist for these awards, despite tough competition from a pool of brilliant applications, is a mark of real achievement for FirstClass. The team have been selected based on matching the criteria for Ambition, Excellence, Outcome and attributing scores against a transparent system aimed at recognising and rewarding inspirational legacy teams and individuals.


FirstClass has become an industry ‘gold standard’. In many cases, its use across the UK’s diverse range of charities is regarded – perhaps unofficially – as a qualification, with those with experience of using it seen as having an additional and highly coveted skillset.

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However, FirstClass is not just used by charities and academic institutions. It’s also used by high-profile benchmarking organisations and industry authorities such as Legacy Foresight and Legacy Link. As a result, FirstClass has a reach and positive impact that goes far beyond a typical industry product or traditional supplier/customer relationship.


Yet, despite all this – and apart from those who use the system day in, day out - there is perhaps a large segment of our sector that doesn’t fully understand that the platform is, as Cancer Research UK states, ‘the beating heart of the legacy team’.


As a result, the team would like to use this award as a platform to make this highly-regarded industry tool front of mind with key stakeholders and shine a light on the good work that FirstClass has been doing since its inception in the mid-nineties.


Polly Avgherinos, Managing Director, Smee & Ford: “We extend our congratulations to FirstClass for their nomination in the at the upcoming Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards. We eagerly anticipate their presence at the April ceremony, where we will come together to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable talent, dedication, and enthusiasm of individuals contributing to the field of legacies. Their impactful work on behalf of legators, charities, and beneficiaries deserves recognition and appreciation."


The winners will be selected following a rigorous judging stage ahead of the Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards ceremony. The full list of nominees for the 2024 Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards can be found at legacygivingawards.co.uk/finalists-2024.


The selected winners will be announced during a private ceremony at Hilton Bankside, London, on 18th April 2024.

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Legacy Budgets: Clarity for Future Spend

By Fiona Paton • April 21, 2026
When you’re managing legacies, it’s not just the income that matters - it’s the commitments, too. Future solicitor fees, surveyor costs, maintenance charges, promised funds to branches… they all add up, and they all need to be tracked somewhere sensible. That’s exactly where Legacy Budgets steps in. What Legacy Budgets Actually Do Legacy Budgets lets you record a budgeted amount for any planned or upcoming expenditure linked to a legacy. It could be professional fees, ongoing maintenance, or even funds earmarked for a specific centre or project. Many charities track this in their finance system, but having it visible within the legacy record itself gives you context you don’t get anywhere else. Why It’s Worth Using Think of it as a financial snapshot that sits right alongside the case details. It’s simple, but it’s powerful, and helps you: See what’s been committed before invoices arrive Keep teams aligned on expected spend Avoid surprises later in the process Maintain a clearer picture of each legacy’s net value The Legacy Budget Browser: Your Overview at a Glance If you want to see all budgets in one place, the Legacy Budget Browser is your new best friend. It shows: Current budgeted amounts Amounts already spent Remaining balance Related legator, legacy, and payee details It’s ideal when you’re not sure which legacy a budget belongs to, when you want to see everything linked to a particular payee, or when you need quick reporting using selections. To access it: From the Home window, click Browse or press Ctrl + B Double‑click Legacy Budget Browser Apply your filters using Selections and hit Apply Selections How to Switch It On Legacy Budgets isn’t enabled by default. To activate it, set the ShowLegacyBudgets system parameter to Yes in the Maintain System Parameters window, then restart the system. If you’d like budget information to appear in additional grids, we are only too happy to help configure that. Where You’ll Find It Once enabled, you’ll see a Budgets tab on both the Legator and Legacy windows - making it easy to view, add, and manage budgets right where you need them.

ILM 2026: What we’re most excited about this year

By Fiona Paton • March 25, 2026
We’re officially counting down to the ILM Annual Conference on 8 May at 133 Houndsditch, London. It’s always one of the best days in the legacy calendar - a chance to reconnect in person with friends and colleagues across the sector, soak up engaging speaker sessions, spark new ideas, and celebrate the incredible work happening in legacies at the ILM Awards. What's New The FirstClass team will be on hand to share the latest on how FirstClass is evolving, with the launch of the first iteration of FirstClass 5 Essentials coming very soon. We’ll also be unveiling a couple of new services we’re delighted to introduce, including Data Cleansing and RCS Business Messaging - the natural successor to SMS. Data Cleansing For charities and non‑profits, supporter data is the backbone of effective legacy giving. Yet while nearly half of organisations want to use insights to improve services, more than half are held back by CRM challenges. Poor‑quality data can have serious consequences - from losing touch with potential legacy supporters to missing opportunities for deeper engagement, and even risking compliance issues. That’s where our Data Cleansing service comes in. We help charities restore confidence in their supporter information by improving the quality of addresses, emails, and phone numbers. The result is cleaner, compliant, and more reliable data that strengthens legacy communications and ensures every supporter feels valued and connected. RCS Business Messaging Charities are experiencing a major shift. Supporters now expect digital‑first, mobile‑first communication - they want interactions that feel personal, transparent, and effortless. Social media is great for sharing impact stories, but when it comes to deeper, more meaningful conversations, like inspiring someone to leave a gift in their Will, charities need something more powerful and more trusted. RCS delivers on‑brand, secure, and interactive messages straight to the place that matters most - your supporters’ phones. Unlike SMS, RCS allows content‑rich, multimedia, and interactive messaging, helping charities build stronger, more personal connections with legacy supporters. And the results speak for themselves: up to three times higher engagement than SMS, read rates of 60–80%, and adoption by hundreds of leading brands. RCS is redefining how charities nurture relationships and inspire legacy giving. ILM Awards As always, a big highlight of the conference is celebrating excellence across the legacy sector, and we’re looking forward to cheering on all the ILM members who’ve been nominated. Good luck to all the nominees - we’re excited to celebrate your achievements and hear about the great work happening across the sector. Make sure to drop by on the day to hear how FirstClass is now delivering even more for its clients, and in the meantime, you can view the complete list of speakers and topics for the day at the ILM Annual Conference website .
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Open Conversations. Shared Solutions.

By Fiona Paton • March 25, 2026
At FirstClass, we’ve always believed our product should grow with the charities and non-profits who use it. Your input has shaped the way we build, and now we want to take that collaboration one step further. Monthly Check-in Calls We’re introducing monthly check‑in calls - an open forum where you can drop in, chat with the team and other customers, and explore anything to do with the product. No agenda, no pressure. Just space for conversation, questions, and shared ideas. These sessions give you the chance to: Share your priorities and help shape how we address different aspects of the system Stay informed on technical updates, including external systems like SQL or Outlook What’s new across our Team, billing, and the wider company See functionality demonstrated live - if you’re unsure how something works, we’ll show you Updates on features and fixes in the latest releases Ask questions on any part of the system Whether you join for five minutes or stay for the full hour, this is your space to connect with us. It’s a chance to explore challenges together, share experiences, and help shape a product that truly works for charities. We’ll host these sessions monthly on Microsoft Teams, giving you regular opportunities to drop in and join the conversation. Join our team for open, honest discussions that help us learn, improve, and grow alongside you. The next session is on Thursday, 21 st May at 10:45, you can sign up using the Save the Date button below.