Remember A Charity Week launches with new map of Willanthropy & celebrity ambassador
Melanie May | 9 September 2024 | News
Remember A Charity Week starts today (9-15 September), with a new legacy ad campaign, the launch of an interactive map and a consumer report showcasing the impact of charitable gifts in Wills. It also has a new celebrity ambassador: TV, radio and stage performer Debbie McGee.
The annual week sees charities across the UK come together with legal firms, campaign partners, celebrities and others to celebrate legacy giving and inspire the public to consider leaving a gift in their Will.
Launching for this year’s Remember A Charity Week, the Great Map of Willanthropy demonstrates the breadth and diversity of causes supported through gifts in Wills, inviting people to click on pins to explore charitable services in their area and further afield. The map is accompanied by a consumer-facing report, A Nation of Willanthropists, highlighting the importance of legacies for charities including British Heart Foundation, Young Sounds UK, and Children’s Hospices Across Scotland.
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‘Be Remembered’ ad campaign
Remember A Charity’s ad campaign builds on last year’s Be Remembered theme and is running on digital channels and in select print titles. It includes a series of videos, an audio ad and still imagery celebrating the hobbies and quirks that people will be remembered for as well as the charities they support in their Will.
Potential to unlock extra £1.3bn in funding
Currently, 15% of Wills at probate include a charitable gift, raising £4 billion a year for good causes according to Smee & Ford figures. Remember A Charity estimates (based on increasing the current legacy market by one third) that if this figure were to rise to 20% of Wills at probate, it could unlock an additional £1.3 billion in annual funding.
Minister for Civil Society and Youth, Stephanie Peacock said:
“Charitable gifts in Wills provide valuable support for many charities. Not only is it an empowering and meaningful way to support charities and local causes, but it can be an opportunity to ensure their work can live on long beyond our lifetimes.
“Remember A Charity Week offers an important opportunity to reflect on the valuable impact leaving a gift can have, encouraging more people to continue making a difference.”
Lucinda Frostick, Director of Remember A Charity, added:
“Remember A Charity Week is a wonderful time of year where we can draw together a wide range of audiences and voices to inspire supporters to leave a charitable gift in their Will, helping to sustain good causes and services for beneficiaries long into the future.
“We are hugely grateful to all the legal firms, campaign partners and supporters, who are sharing the legacy message far and wide during the week. By sharing a mix of warm, humorous and informative campaign content, we hope that this year’s campaign will win both hearts and minds, inspiring supporters across the UK to take action and leave a gift in their Will.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.