A legacy that plays on: From a founding bequest to a community of changemakers

Legacy giving can be one of the most personal and powerful ways for supporters to sustain the work they care deeply about. For arts organisations like ours, it offers future funding and the chance to build a community of people who want to see their values live on.

Musical talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t as family finances and other obstacles too often get in the way. We’re here to change this in two key ways. We:

• Support young musicians from low-income families – with funding and other help
• Support music education – through training, advocacy and research.

Since 1998, we’ve supported talented young people from low-income families. Whatever the genre, our strategically targeted programmes help them grow, flourish and fulfil their musical potential. From funding instruments to lessons and transport, we offer individual support for each young person’s musical progression. Our programmes sustain musical journeys and support others to identify and nurture talent wherever they find it.

Legacies are at the heart of who we are

Young Sounds UK wouldn’t exist without a legacy. Our founding bequest came from Robert Lewin, a talented violinist born above an east London chip shop whose generous gift created the foundation for everything we’ve built since. His story still inspires us, and it’s why we take such a proactive and personal approach to legacy fundraising.

In 2023 we took a significant step by creating The Robert Lewin Circle, a group that celebrates supporters who have pledged to leave us a gift in their will. It’s a growing community, not just a list of names, and a powerful way of acknowledging and thanking these supporters in their lifetime.

Many of our pledgers are musicians themselves, who believe in our mission, or are people whose lives have been deeply shaped by music education. They want to ensure that talented young people today aren’t forced to give up their musical ambitions for lack of resources. And they trust us to make that happen.

Life-changing gifts

Our approach centres on relationships, stories and transparency. We know how important it is for supporters to see the difference their gift can make, both now and in the future.

One of the most transformational gifts we’ve received came in 2019, from Monica and Quintin Des Clayes. Their legacy enabled us to establish awards in their names which have since supported over 100 young musicians.

These gifts fund activities and transform lives. They allow young people who might otherwise have been excluded to develop their musical skills, access new opportunities and grow in confidence and ambition. Legacy giving provides a kind of support that is both deeply personal and far-reaching.  

An organisation-wide approach

As a charity with a core team of 14,  just two of whom are dedicated fundraisers, we don’t have a legacy officer. But legacy giving is embedded across our organisation. From our trustees and senior leaders to our communications team, there is shared commitment to supporting this area of fundraising. Several of our trustees are legacy pledgers themselves.

We’ve been members of Remember A Charity  for over 20 years, and their support has been invaluable. Being featured in their legacy report for the arts, across their website and socials, has helped us reach wider audiences and resulted in significant gifts. Their member forums provide useful insights and a sense of community with other legacy professionals, which are vital for a small team like ours.

Remember A Charity Week is a highlight of our calendar. This year, we’re hosting our third annual concert for our legacy supporters, where they’ll hear from young musicians whose journeys have been supported by legacy gifts. We’re also planning to publish an impact report that celebrates our legacy community and shares some of the deeply personal stories behind the pledges.

Growing the community

Right now, our strategy is focused on growing The Robert Lewin Circle, not just in numbers, but in connections. We want pledgers to feel part of something, to know they are helping shape a future where music is truly inclusive and accessible and that their legacy is already alive in the work we do. Through this, we’re also able to thank supporters who have left a gift in their will to us and encourage them to inform us of their pledge.

We expect our legacy income to grow as our community strengthens. Our focus remains on building trust, telling our story and celebrating our supporters.

Getting going with legacies

Legacy fundraising can feel daunting, especially for small or mid-sized organisations. But you don’t need a large team or big campaign budgets to start. Begin by telling your story, honour the legacies that have shaped your organisation and invite your supporters to imagine what kind of future they could help create.

That’s what we’ve done at Young Sounds UK; through this approach, we’ve grown our income and our community.

When legacy giving is treated as a relationship rather than as a transaction, it can become something extraordinary: a living, lasting expression of what your supporters care about most and a future built on shared values.

We highly recommend checking out the free legacy report for the arts by Remember A Charity, which features a case study from Young Sounds UK. It’s a transformational and supportive guide.