SWW partners with British Liver Trust
In 2014 the Society of Will Writers (SWW) partnered up with the British Liver Trust to raise awareness among clients of SWW members about liver disease and the work the British Liver Trust do to combat it.
After the success of the Will Month collaboration in October 2014 the two organisations decided to work together in 2015 and again in 2016.
Brian McMillan, Director General for The SWW, fully supports the partnership stating:
“Since the SWW began in 1994, we’ve understood the important relationship between charities and Will writers in terms of leaving charitable legacies. It has surprised us that so many charities have shunned Will writers and that they are only just beginning to appreciate the difference we can make to their good work. When we were first contacted by Audrey Cornelius at the British Liver Trust we were only too happy to get involved and work with one another. Since then the SWW and our members have supported the charity and this is why we looked at a year long campaign with them for 2016″.
Our mission in 2016…
We have invited Will writers and estate planners to get involved and promote charitable giving in 2016. Some members are kindly making a small donation for each Will they prepare, others are making a % donation across their business and some are offering discounts to British Liver Trust supporters – all the time focusing on the very real and lasting difference gifts in Wills can make to a charity. This partnership helps the British Liver Trust support all those affected by all forms of liver disease, and allows SWW members to demonstrate their charitable side.
One such example is Shandip Shah, Principal and Managing Director at Balance Consultancy Limited. Since joining the SWW, Shandip has always been actively involved in self-development, regional groups and other SWW initiatives. Here is what he said about supporting the campaign:
“Charitable giving whether by way of directly donating money or giving up time for a worthy cause is, in my view, a duty for all business people, if circumstances allow. We are all business people and from a very young age I was taught to give time to such causes if at all possible. Since mid 2015, my intention was always to work with a charity. I was looking at working with a charity for the entire year and not just on a one off basis. This was the trial year in my books. I approached one or two charities whose objectives I liked and fitted in well with my aims. However making it happen was not so easy as I was a small business and most charities were seeking corporate sponsors and little old me, did not get much attention. So much so that with time ticking on during 2015, I almost decided to forget about the idea, until……
Late in 2015 the message from SWW went out about the tie up with the British Liver Trust. Without hesitation I replied back to the email and to my surprise contact was made and the information was received. Audrey Cornelius in my view should be the one looking after all charities in the UK because she really made it happen quickly and with open arms.
I had always set my aim as donating to a charity from every will drafted. Whether clients left monies to the BLT or donated to me was a secondary issue. I simply wanted to do my bit at every client meeting. As a marker, I had set a figure of £5 to be donated for every will drafted in a month. Simple, trackable and do able….I had no idea what to expect in terms of donating to BLT but was of the opinion that whatever I sent each month would help the cause. So off I went on the 1st January 2016 marketing this aspect on each letter, web site etc.
Audrey was very supportive of the idea and although the bigger picture was bequests left in the will, I wanted a tangible result from me each month. 3 months down the line and reasonable amount has gone to BLT and has been done with my own efforts and desire. Although the amounts are not large (still another 9 months to go!!!) I am achieving what I have set out to achieve.
The satisfaction I get each month by sending the cheque is tremendous. I have never thought of this as a marketing exercise or an attempt to generate publicity or more sales. I am not sure this initiative has resulted in that but I will never know for certain. BLT has given unwarranted extra coverage for me through social media and I am thankful for this.
All I know is that for me it is personally very satisfying and I hope by the end of 2016 I can look back at the year with pride and joy. I hope the little bit of extra awareness generated by my work helps BLT and they can continue to do the excellent work. This is a great tie up by SWW and in my view should be taken on board by all Will writers. I certainly plan to have a nominated charity for next year and beyond.”
There’s still time to get involved with the 2016 campaign. Send Audrey Cornelius a quick email for more information and see what a difference you can make.
