Legacy giving is most widespread amongst younger will-makers and volunteers, according to a new report has revealed.

Remember A Charity’s annual consumer tracking study found just under one third (31%) of supporters with wills have included a charitable gift, 34% of which are in their 40s and 50s, compared to 30% of those that are aged 60+

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.

The research also found 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.

“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," Remember a Charity director, Lucinda Frostick said.

"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.”

Long-term rise in legacy giving

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).

“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," Frostick added.

“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.”

Understanding legacy giving: motivations & barriers

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, one in four 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.

---