We are delighted to bring you this Guest Blog by Clare Sweeney from Keepace Consults.
It’s lovely to know that you are helping people or causes close to your heart after your death. Leaving a legacy gift in your Will is a great way to do this, as Clare explains…
When you sit down and think about what your life has been all about and what it’s meant to be you, there’s an opportunity to do something reflective of your values, hopes and dreams. Even if you haven’t achieved all that you hoped for.
This is what it feels like when you write a Will and leave a charitable gift.
First of all, well done you for contemplating writing a Will.
Only 35% of the adult population in the UK have completed this process and of this 35%? Only 6% of people who died last year chose to include a gift to a charity in their Will.
However, the cumulative generosity of those gifts amounted to over £3.7 billion in 2022 and powered many rescue missions from lifeboats to air ambulances, pushing forward research into all kinds of cancers and medical treatment plans as well as protecting the environment, our culture, art and heritage for generations to come.
As a Legacy Fundraiser, it’s wonderful to know about this amazing channel of giving. A way to live on and be you, long after you’re no longer alive and kicking. But your values can be. Magnified, magnificent and so much more than the sum of your individual parts.
And do you know what? Creating a Legacy is not exclusive and something that only rich people can do.
Anyone can write a Will, and anyone can include a gift to a charity if they want to.
We’re quite unique in the UK because we have a great deal of freedom around what we can give. If we want to, we can give 100% of our entire estate, all we have accumulated in our lifetime to a charity of our choice, regardless of in laws.
Of course, most people give to their nearest and dearest and that’s completely understandable. However, including a percentage of your estate to a charitable cause can be one of the most empowering things you can do and have a real lasting impact.
Furthermore, completely free Will writing offers exist, like FreeWills.co.uk, so it doesn’t cost a thing in your lifetime. Regardless of being charitable, it certainly is an excellent idea to write a Will, getting a bit of life administration sorted and not leaving a mess for other people to untangle when you’re gone.
Wills are fantastic, they really are. You can include all kinds of wishes about what you want and they’re legally binding.
So, if you’re in the mood or mode of planning your future, consider making a gift in your Will to any of the charitable organisations in the UK who are plugging gaps in healthcare, wellbeing, our environment and cultural institutions and enabling people to live a life that is enriched by moments of loveliness and hope.
Keepace promote charitable giving for many organisations and we’d like to thank whiteballoon for giving us the opportunity to share our joy and enthusiasm on this platform.
For further information about what we do, check out our website at www.keepaceconsults.com or get in touch via [email protected] we’d love to hear from you!