More kind-hearted Brits are leaving gifts to charities in their Wills than ever before, with a million legacies left in the past decade*, according to new research from Remember A Charity and Smee & Ford.
To mark Remember A Charity Week, the data reveals that the percentage of people leaving a gift to charity in their Will has increased by almost a third (30%) over the past 20 years**, with more people than ever choosing to support a charity close to their heart – even after they’ve gone.
Gifts in Wills are a critical source of funding for charitable services across the country, raising more than £3 billion for good causes annually – and have been the fastest growing source of voluntary income for charities over the past twenty-one years.
Remember A Charity Week is an opportunity for charities around the country to raise awareness of passing on something wonderful by including a charity in your Will after family and friends have been taken care of.
Kerry McMenamin, Christian Aid’s Legacy Partnerships Specialist, said: “We are proud to be part of Remember a Charity Week this year as it helps shine a light on the impact that gifts in Wills have, enabling missions of both churches and charities, like Christian Aid. Many supporters feel leaving a gift in their will is the best way to continue their lifetime of faithful action for justice. Raising awareness through Remember A Charity Week means more people will consider doing the same. We are holding a series of events for our staff this week as well as supporting our partner churches to talk more easily about gifts in Wills with their congregations.”
Former head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, Len Goodman, is lending his support to the week, having altered his own Will to include a charity close to his heart.
Len Goodman, head judge on Dancing with the Stars, commented: “I am honoured to be supporting Remember A Charity Week for the fourth year running and to have the opportunity to meet some of the inspiring people working hard for a range of charitable causes. I really hope this week will encourage more people to leave a gift, however big or small, after they’ve gone. I’ve included a charitable gift in my Will after my family has been taken care of – it’s so simple and it really does make an enormous difference!”
Rob Cope, Director of Remember A Charity, says: “It’s so inspiring that we’ve reached this milestone of one million Brits leaving gifts to charity in their Wills. We really hope that this will become increasingly common, and that the number of people supporting charities in this way will continue to rise. Leaving a gift is your Will a wonderful way to support charities in continuing to do amazing work and also provides an opportunity for your legacy to live on after you’ve gone.”
To find out more visit caid.org.uk/remember-a-charity.
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Notes to Editors:
About the Research
Research conducted by Smee & Ford in 2020/21.
*1 million legacies left between 2010-2020. Smee & Ford record over 100,000 bequests in wills per annum.
**The percentage of people choosing to leave a gift to charity in their Will, after looking after friends and family first, has increased by a third (30%) since the year 2000.
Remember A Charity Week
Remember A Charity Week (6-12th September 2021) is an awareness week organised by charity consortia Remember A Charity, which aims to shine a light on the importance of gifts in Wills to charities.
Remember A Charity
Remember A Charity was formed in the year 2000 as a consortium of charities working to encourage more people to consider leaving a gift to charity in their Will. A representative voice for the sector with over 200 charity members, the campaign works with Government, the legal profession, and employers to help normalise legacy giving. Remember A Charity is part of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, which is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC000910) and is a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 1188764) and Scotland (No. SC050060) and is trading for the present time as the Institute of Fundraising.
Find out more at www.rememberacharity.org.uk or follow @RememberCharity.
