A supporter who has given faithfully for fifteen years decides she wants to leave part of her estate to your ministry. She opens your website to find out how. And there's nothing there.
This happens more often than most ministries realize. Planned giving is quietly becoming one of the most significant funding opportunities for faith-based nonprofits — 2026 reports show organizations generating millions in future gifts through bequests and legacy programs. Yet a legacy giving page is one of the most commonly missing pieces on a ministry website.
The gap is worth closing. And it's simpler than it sounds.
Why legacy giving belongs on your website
Most planned gifts don't require a fundraiser in the room. They require a moment of clarity — someone thinking about their estate, wondering whether their values can outlast them, and looking for permission and a path.
Your website is where that moment often happens. If a donor has to call the office or dig through a newsletter to find out how to include you in their will, most won't. A dedicated page meets them where they already are, on their own timeline, without pressure.
This fits the broader shift we're seeing in nonprofit digital strategy for 2026: less energy chasing new one-time donors, more energy deepening the relationships you already have. Legacy giving is the deepest expression of that trust.
What a good legacy giving page includes
You don't need a complicated microsite. A single, well-written page does the work. Here's what belongs on it.
A plain-language explanation of what planned giving is. Many faithful supporters have never heard the term "bequest." Define it simply: a gift arranged now that transfers later, most often through a will or estate plan. Name the common types — a gift in a will, naming your ministry as a beneficiary on a retirement account or life insurance policy, and gifts of stock or property.
The mission framing, not just the mechanics. Lead with why, not how. A legacy gift is someone choosing to let their values keep working after they're gone. Speak to that. A short line like "your generosity can continue the work you love for generations" does more than a page of tax explanations.
The exact legal language a donor needs. Include your organization's full legal name, address, and tax ID number, along with a sample bequest sentence their attorney can drop straight into a will. This one detail removes the biggest source of friction. Make it copyable.
A clear, low-pressure next step. Not a giant "Donate Now" button — that's the wrong ask here. Offer a simple contact form, a name and email of a real person to talk to, and reassurance that reaching out commits them to nothing. Legacy conversations move slowly, and the page should feel unhurried.
An honest note on getting advice. Encourage donors to speak with their own attorney or financial advisor. It builds trust, and it keeps your ministry clearly on the right side of the line. We're not lawyers or financial advisors, and your page shouldn't pretend to be one either.
A few things to get right technically
Make the page easy to find. Link to it from your main giving page and your website footer, not buried three clicks deep. Many people who read it won't be ready to act for years, so it needs to be discoverable whenever they come looking.
Keep the form simple and the page fast. Someone reflecting on their legacy shouldn't be fighting a slow-loading page or a fourteen-field form. Name, email, and an optional message is plenty.
And write it to last. Unlike a seasonal campaign page, a legacy giving page can sit unchanged for years. Avoid dated references, and revisit the legal details once a year to confirm they're still accurate.
Start with one page
You don't need a formal planned giving program to begin. You need one honest page that says: here's how you can let your generosity outlive you, and here's who to talk to when you're ready.
That page can quietly become one of the most meaningful assets your ministry owns — not because it drives this quarter's numbers, but because it honors people who want their faith and their giving to leave a mark that lasts.
If you'd like help building a legacy giving page that reflects your mission and invites the conversation gently, we'd be glad to talk.