# Charities Minister asks solicitors to support legacy giving

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/12/07/charities-minister-asks-solicitors-support-legacy-giving/
- Published: 2017-12-07T12:49:24+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Tracey Crouch MP, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, is this week promoting
the value of supporting charities by leaving a charitable legacy. She is writing
to more than 8,000 solicitors, asking them to make Will-writing clients aware of
the option of including a charitable gift in their Will.**

 

Her letter, which backs up [Remember A Charity](http://www.rememberacharity.org.uk)’
s work with the legal sector, highlights the key role legal advisers have in making
clients aware of all their options when writing a Will. It invites solicitors to
join Remember A Charity’s network of more than 1,100 Campaign Supporters who share
a commitment to offer advice on gifts in Wills to clients.

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Tracey Crouch MP said: “We want to increase awareness of legacy giving and make 
it the norm, so as many charities can benefit as possible. There are many ways we
can boost recognition. Employers can promote the scheme when providing information
about pensions and retirement. Legal firms could also talk clients through the process
of legacy giving when discussing their will.  

 

“I hope solicitors who receive this letter will join Remember A Charity’s growing
network of campaign supporters.”  

 

## Why solicitors matter

 

Legacy income is currently worth **more than £2.8 billion** a year to UK charities.
It is the largest single source of voluntary income to the sector. Any charity can
benefit from a legacy gift, with 25,000 different charities having been named in
Wills since the year 2012, according to Legacy Foresight.

 

The potential for solicitors to increase this is considerable. [Research from the Behavioural Insights Team](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/10/19/normalising-gifts-wills-can-lead-40-increase-says-research)
in 2016 shows that solicitors can **treble** the number of legacy gifts made simply
by referencing the option of including a charity.

 

Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity, said: “The legal community has such an
important role to play in making the public aware of all the options when writing
a Will. While we always encourage people to consider their friends and family first,
it is critical that solicitors also make clients aware that they can support charities
in this way too.

 

“People have all sorts of misconceptions about gifts in Wills, often believing that
you have to choose between family and charity, or that you need to be wealthy to
leave a legacy. The reality is that even a small amount can make a massive difference
to the good causes people care about.”

 

Many solicitors already remind clients of the option of leaving a charitable bequest.
Annual promotional activity to the legal press and research by Remember A Charity
has found that **72%** of solicitors always or sometimes advise clients about the
inheritance tax benefits of legacy giving. This has increased from **66%** in 2015
and **61%** in 2009.

 

Remember A Charity aims to increase the number of campaign supporters and for charity
to become a standard inclusion within any conversation about Will-planning.

 

 

 

_Photo: Tracey Crouch MP – [The DCMS on Flickr.com](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thedcms/albums/72157653884802752)_

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