# Normalising gifts in wills can lead to 40% increase says research

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/10/19/normalising-gifts-wills-can-lead-40-increase-says-research/
- Published: 2016-10-19T08:08:32+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**A 40% increase in legacy giving among first-time will writers is seen when legal
professionals normalise gifts in wills, according to research launched by [Remember A Charity](http://www.rememberacharity.org.uk)
today at the Law Society of England and Wales.**

 

The _Legacy Giving and Behavioural Insights Report_ is the result of a two-year 
study carried out by the Behavioural Insights Team and the University of Bristol,
and explores the most appropriate and effective ways for solicitors to make their
clients aware of the option of donating through their will in a face-to- face setting.
It is based on trials involving eight firms of solicitors and over 2,600 client 
interactions across the UK.

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According to the study, how likely someone is to include a charity in their will
is affected by the language legal professionals use. This suggests that how solicitors
raise the charitable option can play a major role in legacy giving, and that the
gap between the public’s intention to give through their will and the likelihood
of them doing so can be reduced through the will writing process.

 

The research found that normalising charitable legacies by communicating that this
is something that others do was the approach most likely to encourage clients to
leave a gift to charity in their will. However, the impact of social norm messaging
varied according to clients’ circumstances.

 

Social norming was most effective for clients that were writing a will for the first
time, with a 40% uplift in the number of first-time will writers choosing to include
a charity compared to a control group. However, the study shows that this approach
may be counter-effective for those who are not writing their first will and may 
in fact discourage them from doing so.

 

Addressing legacy gifts as an opportunity to support charities that participants’
families care about or have benefited from, increased the likelihood of participants
without children donating and may increase the likelihood of people with children
donating. Focusing on the good work that charities could do with the money after
the person has gone was not found to be as effective as other wording.

 

The majority of people are willing to talk about charities and legacy giving during
the will writing process, with 69% of people responding to an online survey conducted
as part of this study saying that they would be happy to have a solicitor mention
charitable giving during the will-writing process and almost half (46%) saying that
solicitors have ‘a duty’ to make clients aware of the option of legacy giving.

 

Michael Sanders, chief scientist and head of research, evaluation and social action
at the Behavioural Insights Team, said:

 

> “We already know that mentioning legacy giving as part of the will writing process
> can have a significant impact on giving levels, but the evidence from these new
> trials indicates that specific language used in conversations can make a real 
> difference to the way that people respond in a face to face setting.”

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