More people choose to leave charity legacies

The number of people have left a charitable gift in their Will is at its highest level since 2010, according to new research published by Remember A Charity.

The survey of 1001 people aged over 40 was commissioned by the charity legacy consortium and was carried out in October.

It shows that 17 per cent claimed to have left legacies in their Will, which has increased from 14 per cent in 2013 and 12 per cent in 2010, when Remember a Charity first started monitoring public attitudes to legacy giving.

The research, carried out by nfpSynergy, also shows that 64 per cent of those surveyed claimed they had written a Will. However, 26 per cent of those admitted that it needs to be updated.

Moreover, only 11 per cent of respondents said that they have ‘never thought about’ legacy giving, compared with 21 per cent in 2010.

Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity, said: “Historically, there was been a large disconnect between those who say they’d be happy to leave a gift in their Will and those who do it.

“These latest results show that significant progress has been made towards closing this gap between intention and action, but with so many charities heavily reliant on legacy income there is still more work to be done to make legacy giving the social norm.”

If you would like to leave a charitable gift in your Will, then Royds can offer advice. For more information on our Private Client services please visit our website or contact Tony Millson.