Agenda

Please see below for the Excellence in Legacy Administration conference 2020

Morning
09.30 - 09.40 Welcome and housekeeping
09.40 - 10.15 A review and update of probate service timelines in 2020/2021
 
  • An overview of processing times pre Covid - Feb 2019-Feb 2020
  • The situation from March 2020 onwards – how HMCTS adapted to remote working
  • What to expect going forward – Predicted turnaround times
  • Impact on notification services and legacy administration timelines
  • What’s new? Digital developments and new ways of working
  • Q & A session 

Presentation by Stephen Burgess, HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS)
Polly Avgherinos, Managing Director, Smee & Ford and Matthew Lagden, CEO, Institute of Legacy Management will join after for a Q & A session
 

5-minute break
10.20 - 11.00 Forecasting in the time of Covid - How to predict your legacy income
 

The science of forecasting legacy income has been an accepted part of strategy planning, but how can the sector predict legacy income during a global pandemic? Should legacy professionals plan for the very worst, and expect something similar? Or should they be more optimistic? This session will look at: -

  • The factors to consider when estimating your legacy income for the next two years
  • Factoring in Brexit and Covid in the same financial year
  • How to manage income expectations across your charity
  • If, and when,  legacy income totals will return to normal levels

Marcia Prince, Legacy Manager, The Salvation Army
Adam West, Legacy and In-Memory Manager, MS Society
 

15-minute break
11:15 - 12:00
 		 Great Expectations – Successful Internal Stakeholder Management During a Pandemic
 

With charity fundraising income experiencing an average 30% decrease during 2020, how can legacy administration teams reassure their colleagues on their charity’s revenue stream? This session will look at how legacy admin teams can utilise this period of immense change to update their processes, refine their structure, and present a solid secure business case to their senior leadership.

  • The renewed focus on, and need for legacy income
  • The power of well-organised admin processes
  • Managing the expectations of finance teams and FDs during 2020/2021
  • The role of regular forecasting in raising internal confidence and income planning
  • How to work with third parties to get the best outcomes
  • Making simple changes to improve legacy case outcomes

Rachel Hedley,  Legacy and in Memory Fundraiser, St Christopher’s Hospice
Meenaxi Mawji, Head of Legacy Management, Solicitor (TEP), British Heart Foundation
 

5-minute break
12.05 - 13.00 Modernising legacy administration - techniques, best practice, and communication
 

Two experienced legacy managers will highlight how their long-established working practices and patterns have experienced significant and swift changes during 2020, and look at which of these new methods of working will stay for the long term to make legacy administration more streamlined, modern and flexible.

  • Is a paperless legacy admin office possible and practical?
  • Scope of modernisation - techniques and procedures
  • BACs payments and e signatures
  • Adjusting to the new case timelines and working methods
  • Remote working – best practice and innovations
  • Communicating and working with more traditional third parties

Rosalind Sherlock-Jones, Legacy Officer, Great Ormond Street Hospital
Doyin Max-Lino, Legacy Administration Manager, Christian Aid
  50-minute lunch break 
Afternoon
13.50 - 14.10 Smee & Ford dashboard session
 

Thomas Gibbs, Product Lead & Mark Pincher, Head of Data Management, Smee & Ford
 

5-minute break
14.15 - 14.45 Wills and probate 2020: a legal update
 
  • Digitisation of services
  • Video witnessing of wills – changes, guidance from various bodies, what to look out for
  • Online probate applications
  • Themes for 2021

Lorraine Robinson, Head of Legal, Farewill
 

5-minute coffee break
14.50 - 15.20  Unlocking a legacy’s true potential – dealing with those problem cases
 

Debra and Andrew will discuss common problems that legacy teams encounter which hold up the estate administration and discussing practical steps for overcoming them so that legacies can be received more quickly.  Areas they will be discussing include:
 
•    What to do if the Will is unclear as to the value of your legacy, or there are other construction issues with the will
•    What’s in a name? Discussion about what happens if there is confusion about whether your charity is named in the Will
•    How to deal with promises made by the testator before their death to people not named in the Will and using the Charity Commission’s ex-gratia payment scheme 
•    How to progress “stale claims” against the estate
 
Andrew Wilkinson, Partner and Head, Charities and Contentious Probate Team, Shakespeare Martineau
Debra Burton, Legal  Director, Charities and Contentious Probate Team, Shakespeare Martineau
 

15-minute break 
15:35 - 16:20 Donorcentricity - Effective Relationship Building with your Lay Executors
 

Working with Lay Executors can be a challenge for any size of charity – but with the increased stress factors of a pandemic, economic uncertainty and remote working – the task has become far more complex. Two charities explain the innovative and bespoke ways in which they are approaching their lay executor relationships – and how these methods have been adapted to meet the extra challenges of the Covid-19 era.

  • Moving from process-driven to relationship management
  • Bereavement training and its increased role - language and approaches required
  • Managing bumps in the road – how small issues can cause big obstacles
  • Finding resources, advice, and guidance from larger charities
  • Longer-term benefits of this technique, and the potential for encouraging new legacy pledgers

Sarah Anderson, Legacies, CRUK
Nigel Gorvett, Head of Legacies, Marie Curie UK
Duane Saunders, Legacy Administration Manager, Marie Curie UK

 		 5-minute break
 
16:25 - 17:05 PANEL DISCUSSION:  Everything has changed, so what is the new normal for Legacy Administration?
 
  • Summary of the day
  • What else needs to modernise in the sector?
  • Does your organisation value legacy income more now?
  • Will legacy admin processes continue to modernise?
  • How has your charity evolved in 2020?
  • Are online wills the future?
  • Has COVID-19 made donors more willing to talk about death, and plan their wills?

Jenny-Anne Dexter, Individual Giving & Legacy Manager, League Against Cruel Sports 
Ben Eden-Davies, Assistant Head of Individual Giving, St Mungo’s
Karen Frampton, Legacy and In Mem Manager, Youth Hostel Association (YHA)  
Sam Reid, Legacy Development Manager, Whizz-Kidz
17.05 - Summary & END OF DAY