Gifts in wills – getting personal

10 January 2022

As part of our legacy week, Lesley Brooks, Minstead Trust’s Fundraising co-ordinator, tells us about the impact leaving a gift in your will can make to charities.

When thinking about writing this blog, I thought about highlighting some key stats, facts and figures about the difference that charitable gifts, left in wills of people that have died, make to the work of UK charities.

Some facts that came to mind were:

• Gifts in wills are important for all charities as they make up about 28% of all fundraised money by charities in the UK
• Gifts in wills are worth £3billion to UK charities and by 2030 this is expected to reach £5bn.
• The average ‘residuary’ gift from property or assets left to charities in 2020 was £50,000 – this is when someone leaves a % of their assets after tax and expenses.

As you can see, facts and figures highlight the huge impact that gifts in wills have on UK charities.

However, talking about making your will and leaving a gift in it is much more personal than facts and figures, but the impact will still be huge.

It is personal because, well, it is a personal thing writing your will, facing fact that at some point we shall all be “moving” on. There, it is not even easy to write it. What I mean is that we shall all die, in the end, but that does not have to be the end.

Of course we all want to make sure our loved ones, family and friends are taken care of, and having an up to date will, will actually help them, it is good planning that your wishes are known.

Part of your wishes may be that you want to leave a legacy, a gift in your will to charity, and this again will be a personal choice, a personal decision of which charity, how much and why. (you do not actually have to say why, you will know why).

The why is because you care, because this is a way that you can help a charity after you have gone, to leave a lasting legacy, supporting the work of charities to carry on doing great things, in your honour, thanks to you.

So facts and figures are all very well, but your gift, be it large or small in your will, to your chosen charity or charities will make a huge and personal difference.

Find out more about leaving a gift to Minstead Trust in your will.