WaterAid - What Jack Gave

Legacy giving is one of the most powerful forms of charity support, but it’s traditionally associated with older, existing supporters. WaterAid wanted to reframe this message for a broader, younger audience, beyond the usual warm base.

The challenge? Make a deeply personal and often taboo subject, writing a will, feel hopeful, human and even inspiring. We needed to move away from conventional charity legacy campaigns and reposition the act of leaving a gift as not just generous, but profoundly meaningful.

Legacy giving is about remembrance and about values. When people write a will, they’re thinking about the people they love, what mattered to them in life, and how they want to be remembered.

We built the strategy around that insight: a legacy isn’t just money, it’s meaning. We wanted to show that through a legacy to WaterAid, you could keep your values alive, long after you’re gone. And in doing so, you could help start someone else’s story.

The tone needed to be deeply personal, yet uplifting. The creative had to forge an emotional connection in the space of a single moment, not just with those considering a legacy, but with those who hadn’t yet thought about it at all.

We developed “What Jack Gave”, a poignant and beautifully crafted film that tells the story of a man named Jack, not through his own words, but through the eyes of those who remember him.

The narrative unfolds via mementoes, small, sometimes quirky objects kept by people whose lives Jack touched: a teacup, a photograph, a half-worn jumper. The film begins in an old community hall in Dalston, familiar and grounded. But as the camera moves through each memory, it carries us to Simango, Zambia, where we meet Mary, who holds her own object: access to clean water. “He gave me life,” she says. “He gave me water.”

The campaign anchored the idea that a legacy gift can transcend geography, generations, and even time. Jack may be gone, but the values he lived by live on in the lives he helped change.

Instead of relying on the traditional ‘download a pack’ call to action, which can feel cold and transactional, we created an interactive digital tool that allowed people to explore what legacy meant to them. It encouraged reflection, offered meaningful storytelling, and helped guide users through the legacy journey in a way that felt thoughtful and considered.