One in three of over 40s already have a gift in their will.
Younger will-makers and volunteers are most likely to leave a gift in their will, new research has found.
Just under one third (31%) of supporters with wills have included a charitable gift, with legacy giving most widespread amongst younger will-makers and volunteers, according to Remember A Charity’s annual consumer tracking study.
The Remember A Charity consumer benchmarking study* is carried out by independent research firm OKO and surveys more than 2,000 charity donors aged 40+ to track legacy giving attitudes and behaviour.
Over the last 15 years, the study, which follows Prochaska’s Stages of Change model, has tracked long-term forward movement in legacy giving from awareness through to preparation and action. The latest survey was carried out in November 2024.
Among supporters with a will (61%), the study shows that those without children are twice as likely to have pledged a gift. Half (49%) of these supporters say they have done so, compared to 1 in 4 (24%) of those with children.
However, legacy giving has become increasingly prevalent across the board, particularly for younger will-makers.
Although older generations are more likely to have a will, 34% of people with wills in their 40s and 50s have included a charitable gift, compared with 30% of those aged 60+.
Delving into when people first pledge a gift, this year’s data reveals that over half of legacy pledgers had done so in their 40s (23%) and 50s (32%), with others at an even younger age.
While this leaves great scope for change over time, Remember A Charity highlights that 50% of those with a will – and 41% of those aged over 70 – have never changed it. What’s more, supporters are four times as likely to have added than removed a charity when making changes to their will (43% vs 11%). The majority of pledgers (67%) haven’t told the charity they have left a donation in their will.
Lucinda Frostick, director of Remember A Charity, said: “For the first time of running this study, we asked supporters to tell us how old they were when they wrote a charity into their will, revealing that many pledgers include a charity at a younger age than fundraisers might anticipate.
“While this enthusiasm for giving amongst younger generations is greatly encouraging and bodes well for the future of the legacy market, the reality is that stewarding supporters for many decades is a challenge, particularly when so many pledgers are unknown.
“This generation of hidden pledgers emphasises the importance for charities of maintaining best practice across the board, building trust and confidence in all they do and of continuing to nurture every supporter as a prospective legator.”
Across the study, only 8% of respondents rejected the concept of leaving a charitable gift in their will in 2024, down from 13% in 2010.
Those most likely to have pledged a gift include volunteers (29%), those who have been supported by or have fundraised for a charity (28%), and those who donate regularly (27% for weekly donors, and 25% for monthly donors).
Key motivations for including a charitable gift include the recognition that: even a small gift can make a difference (35%); charities rely on gifts in wills to continue their vital work (30%); and leaving a gift is a natural step after supporting charities for a long time (27%).
For those who have written a will, but haven’t included a charitable gift, 1 in 4 simply didn’t think about it at the time. The most prevalent reason (63%) for not including a charity was that they wanted to leave everything to family and friends, while 30% said it was because they didn’t have the money or assets to leave a large amount.
Frostick added: “While legacy giving may seem – and often is – a natural progression from regular giving, the study shows that there is a strong correlation with volunteering, along with those who have benefitted from charitable services.
“This highlights the opportunity for charities to ensure that their volunteers know about the importance of legacies, how valued they are and that any such gifts can help to make a difference to the charity’s work long into the future.”
