How Toronto Foundation measured more than $2.3M of value with Epilogue
Inside the Impact
Toronto Foundation wanted to:
Make legacy giving easier and less intimidating for donors;
Reach donors who might not be ready to sit down with a lawyer; and
Bring more clarity and structure to how they track legacy commitments.
Since working with Epilogue they:
Saw an increase in donor engagement (~275 visits to their dedicated landing page, ~40 Wills started by their donors);
Made legacy giving easy and accessible for donors (~20 total legacy gifts); and
Tracked an estimated total value in excess of $2,300,000.
The Opportunity
Q: Before partnering with Epilogue, what challenges were you facing with your legacy giving program?
As the home to over 1000 donor advised funds, legacy giving has always been an important way for our fundholders to increase their impact. We’ve developed a strong network of lawyers and professional advisors to support donors who want to leave gifts in their Wills. That said, not all donors choose to work with a lawyer, as they may find the process intimidating or expensive.
We believed that there was a group of donors who were interested in legacy, but never quite took that next step.
Even with strong advisor partnerships, we had a few core challenges:
Accessibility: Working with a lawyer isn’t the right fit for everyone.
Hesitancy: Talking about legacy giving can be scary or daunting for some folks. No one likes to think about their own mortality. Plus, donors are not always aware of the powerful impact a legacy gift can make.
Tracking: We lacked clear visibility into who had actually included Toronto Foundation in their Will, beyond the small group that told us directly.
The Solution
Q: What led you to choose Epilogue as your legacy giving partner?
We chose Epilogue for three big reasons:
Accessibility for donors: Epilogue makes it simple and accessible for people to create a Will online and include a legacy gift. We appreciated that charitable giving is framed as an automatic part of legacy planning—an “opt out,” not an “opt in”—alongside caring for family and loved ones. Then donors pause and consider the impact they want to make on their community.
Alignment with our values: Epilogue understands the charitable sector and genuinely cares about impact, not just transactions.
Partnership mindset: It never felt like “here’s some software, good luck.” It felt like having a collaborator who wanted the program to succeed as much as we did.
And importantly, Epilogue didn’t replace our advisor network—it complemented it, giving donors another path and expanding our reach.
The Results
Q: How quickly did you start seeing impact? What did that look like?
We saw results within weeks of launching. Donors didn’t just click through, they actually completed Wills and included Toronto Foundation. That early traction was a strong signal that we were onto something. And because Epilogue reaches donors who might not otherwise talk to a lawyer, it has broadened our vision of who a legacy donor can be.
Since partnering with Epilogue, we’ve seen:
~275 visits to our dedicated landing page
~40 Wills started by our donors
~20 total legacy gifts (including completed Wills + Wills in progress)
An estimated total gift value of ~$2,300,000
Summary
What’s Next for Toronto Foundation
Q: How has this partnership changed your approach to legacy giving going forward?
Online Wills are now part of our legacy strategy.
In the short term, they give us a practical, low-friction way to engage donors in legacy conversations. In the long term, they help build a more diversified and resilient base of legacy supporters, especially among donors who value convenience, autonomy, and digital tools.
We felt confident renewing our contract with Epilogue after our first pilot. Helping donors leave legacy gifts through online Wills is now an ongoing part of our strategy.
