Remember A Charity confirms potential growth for legacy giving
Howard Lake | 27 July 2015 | News
Over one third (35%) of those over 60 who haven’t included a charitable donation in their will said that they would consider doing so, according to research for Remember A Charity.
The research found that Britons in their sixties are living active and philanthropic lives, with many saying they felt younger than their years:
• 47% said that they feel at least 10 years younger
• one third said that they are more likely to seek out new experiences than they were 20 years ago.
Remember A Charity, the consortium of charities that encourages more people to leave a gift to charity in their Will, commissioned the research ahead of this year’s Remember A Charity in your Will Week, which takes place from 7-13 September.
‘Young Age Pensioners’
The consortium described this cohort as ‘Young Age Pensioners’, to contrast with the now deprecated term ‘Old Age Pensioners’. For example, it found that 10% of them have taken part in extreme sports over the past decade, including skydiving, bungee jumping and scuba diving.
According to the research, 22% of over 60s are volunteering for good causes. In addition, 16% of the age group said that not only had they made a Will but that they had also include a charitable gift in it. This suggests positive progress from the oft-quoted statistic of one in seven people who have left a charitable gift in their Will.
In welcome news for legacy fundraisers, of those who have not including a charitable donation, 35% said they would consider leaving a legacy to a charity.
More legacy work to be done
At the same time the research shows that the Will writing message is still needed. Remember A Charity found that 28% of people aged 60 or over have not written a Will. As legacy fundraisers know, no Will equals no charitable gift, plus of course the likely problems for the individuals’ families if they die intestate.
Social media will likely form part of any communications with these people, as 41% of respondents said that they used these channels regularly.
The survey was conducted by OnePoll in June 2015 and surveyed 2,000 adults in two age group category’s; 45-59 year olds and 60+
Rob Cope, Director of Remember A Charity, said:
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“People in their sixties are really living life to the full and doing amazing things, not least of all volunteering their time and taking part in challenge events for good causes. It is fantastic to see that one in six have already included a charity in their Will and twice as many would consider doing so. This tells us there is far greater potential still to be met when it comes to growing legacies.
“People know they can give in this way and many are willing, but there is a need to normalise this form of giving and ensure that it becomes a regular part of the discussion when planning a person’s inheritance or Will.”
Remember A Charity is working with a range of audiences; the charity sector, Government, businesses and professional advisers this summer to encourage the public to include a charity when writing a Will, ahead of Remember A Charity Week.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.