Excellence in Legacy Pledger Stewardship

Bible Society has been recognised in the charity sector for Excellence in Legacy Pledger Stewardship. At the inaugural Smee & Ford Awards in South London on 27 April 2023, Bible Society was chosen ahead of seven other charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Great Ormond Street Hospital and the University of Edinburgh.

But what is legacy pledger stewardship? Howard Barker, Bible Society’s Head of Legacy Giving, who collected the award beside long-time consultant Dr Claire Routley, said: ‘When someone has told us they’re intending to leave a gift to Bible Society in their will, we try to look after them by inviting them to special and exclusive events.’

Last year this took the form of an event at Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, right before it closed for a two-year refurbishment. People with a passion for Scripture gathered to explore the influence of the Bible on art, to hear about the Bible mission programmes their giving will enable and to discover the fascinating history of the palace. 

You can watch highlights from this event, download presentation slides and hear from those in attendance to find out why they plan to leave a legacy to Bible Society. Howard said: ‘People make this big decision because they believe in the power of the Bible to change lives. They ask themselves, “What do I want the world to look like when I’ve passed away?” And the answer is that they want the Bible to continue to be shared, to be experienced, and to shape communities.’

Past events have involved visits to the House of Commons, the British Library, and London’s oldest surviving church, St Bartholomew the Great. And events are only half of the story. It’s their impact in tandem with crowd-sourced Scripture booklets that impressed the judges.

‘Every year we pose a question to our supporters,’ Howard said. ‘Which Bible stories do you treasure from childhood? What spiritual wisdom would you like to pass on? They come back to us with their ideas and we post it back to them in the form of a booklet they can share.’

‘People love the booklets,’ Howard said. ‘They’re not just putting their copy on the shelf, they’re ordering more and passing them on. A church leader got copies for his whole congregation.’

So the award was a no-brainer? Far from it. ‘I was astonished,’ Howard said. ‘We were up against stiff competition. For a Christian charity, who are all about putting the Bible in people’s hands, this is fantastic.’

You can make a life-changing investment in Bible mission by leaving a legacy. Find out how you can get 30 minutes of free legal advice to start you off on writing your will.

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