Remember A Charity calls on legal advisers to talk charitable wills.

Remember A Charity calls on legal advisers to talk charitable Wills

With charities across the country facing urgent funding needs and rising costs, national consortium Remember A Charity, is calling on legal advisers to make Will-writing clients aware of the option of leaving a charitable gift in their Will, after taking care of their loved ones.

Wills are a vital funding stream for charities and the consortium estimates that just a 4% increase in the proportion of people leaving a gift in this way could raise an extra £1 billion for good causes each year. Every day 100 people write a charity into their Will1, and within the next decade alone, that income is expected to bring in over £40 billion, 2 but there are still many people who are unaware they can leave a donation in this way.

Remember A Charity is on a mission to normalise charitable gifts in Wills, working with over 800 solicitors and Willwriters across the UK, who have signed up to its Campaign Supporter scheme. Earlier this year, it3 found that one in five (22%) Wills handled by UK legal advisers now includes a charitable beneficiary.

Lucinda Frostick, Director of Remember A Charity, says: “Solicitors and Willwriters play a crucial role in building understanding around gifts in Wills among their client base. Even the simplest of references to the option of leaving a gift to charity from a client’s Will can double the chances that they will do so.

“For more and more people across the country, their Will is not just an opportunity to support loved ones, but a chance to leave a legacy. This income stream from gifts in Wills has never been more critical or valued.”

The appeal comes in the build-up to the consortium’s annual Remember A Charity Week (5th-11th September), which serves as a springboard to raise the topic of Will-writing with clients.

Will-writers and solicitors who join Remember A Charity’s Campaign Supporter Scheme are listed in the consortium’s online directory of legal advisers and are issued with a resource pack to help them open up conversations with clients about charitable Will-writing during and beyond Remember A Charity Week. This includes logos, social media images, web banners, information sheets, press releases, templates and much more.

Lucinda Frostick, adds: “Remember A Charity Week is a celebration of the huge impact of charitable bequests, ensuring that all clients are aware that they have the opportunity of leaving a gift in their Will, no matter how big or small.”

To find out more or join Remember A Charity’s Campaign Supporter Scheme go to https://www.rememberacharity. org.uk/about-us/for-solicitors-will-writers/ join-us/