# Legacy giving up 43% in a decade - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/04/03/legacy-giving-up-43-in-a-decade/ - Published: 2023-04-03T09:30:00+01:00 - Author: Melanie May **Legacy giving has risen by 43% over the past decade according to a new study from Remember A Charity.** 20% of UK charity supporters aged 40+ now say they have left a charitable gift in their Will compared with 14% in 2013. The study charts a steady rise in the proportion of people choosing to give from their Will over time.  ![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/04/OKO-graph.jpg) The [Remember A Charity](http://www.rememberacharity.org.uk/) consumer benchmarking study, carried out by independent research firm OKO, surveys more than 2,000 charity donors aged 40+ to track legacy giving attitudes and behaviour year-on-year.  ## Advertisement [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/) The 2022 study released today found that:  * One in five supporters said they had included a charity in their Will (20%)  * Just over one in 10 said they are preparing to do so (11%)  * Fewer than one in 10 reject the concept altogether (9%). The tracking study follows Prochaska’s Stages of Change model (which shows that people move through a series of stages when modifying or changing behaviour), and shows forward movement over the years from donors’ rejection and lack of awareness through to awareness, contemplation, preparation, and action (leaving a gift). Lucinda Frostick, Remember A Charity Director said: > “This continued growth in appetite for legacy giving is hugely encouraging and > reflects the sector’s increased focus on fundraising for gifts in Wills over the > past 10 years and more. It may take years – in some cases decades – for donations > to filter through, but that income will be crucial in funding charitable services > for generations to come.” Just under two thirds of people surveyed (63%) had already written a Will, with three in 10 of those having included a charitable donation (29%). Despite the economic climate, the large majority of all respondents (80%) said they were just as likely to leave a legacy as 12 months earlier, with twice as many people (14%) saying they were _more likely_ to give than those saying they were _less likely_ (6%).  Of all those who have pledged a gift in their Will, more than six in 10 (62%) haven’t let the charities know about their gift. Asked why that is, the most common reasons respondents gave were that it hadn’t occurred to them to tell the charity (46%)  and that they couldn’t see how it would help the charity to know (30%).  Frostick added:  > “Knowing who has pledged a gift enables charities not only to budget for the future, > but to thank supporters, understand more about their legacy motivations and tailor > their communications to enhance the donor experience. This may well include avoiding > making repeat legacy gift asks. Our research suggests that there’s a need for > charities to articulate this message to supporters more clearly, encouraging those > who have left a gift to let them know and making it easy to do so.” The research also shows that those who are familiar with Remember A Charity are  almost twice as likely to have left a gift in their Will – 32% compared to 17%.  * **[1 in 4 Wills written by solicitors & professional Will-writers now include a charitable gift](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/05/11/1-in-4-wills-written-by-solicitors-professional-will-writers-now-include-a-charitable-gift/)**( 11 May 2023) * **[Lessons I’ve learned… Tales from a departing charity Chair](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/12/22/lessons-ive-learned-tales-from-a-departing-charity-chair/)**( 22 December 2023) * **[More than 1 in 5 charity donors aged 40+ now say they have included a gift in their Will](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/04/16/more-than-1-in-5-charity-donors-aged-40-now-say-they-have-included-a-gift-in-their-will/)**( 16 April 2024)