Charitable legacies most likely from younger will-makers and volunteers
Howard Lake | 2 May 2025 | News
Remember A Charity’s annual consumer tracking study reports that almost 1 in 3 supporters aged over 40 with a Will have already included a charity, while younger Will-makers and volunteers are most likely to leave a gift in their Will.
The encouraging findings are based on a survey carried out in November 2024, and suggest that legacy giving has become increasingly prevalent across the board, particularly for younger Will-makers.
The benchmarking study is carried out by independent research firm OKO and surveys more than 2,000 charity donors aged 40+ to track legacy giving attitudes and behaviour. Over the last 15 years, the study, which follows Prochaska’s Stages of Change model, has tracked long-term forward movement in legacy giving from awareness through to preparation and action.
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The research is commissioned by Remember A Charity, the UK’s charity consortium working to grow the legacy giving market.
Key findings
- Almost 1 in 3 (31%) supporters aged 40+ with a Will have already included a charitable gift
- This rises to around half (49%) of those without children
- More than half of legacy pledgers say they first wrote a charitable gift into their Will in their 40s and 50s (55%)
- Younger Will-makers and volunteers are most likely to leave a gift in their Will
Legacy giving prevalent for Generation X
Although older generations are more likely to have a Will, 34% of people with Wills in their 40s and 50s have included a charitable gift, compared with 30% of those aged 60+. The latest data reveals that over half of legacy pledgers had done so in their 40s (23%) and 50s (32%), with others at an even younger age.
Do supporters change Wills and beneficiary charities?
While individuals can amend their Wills at any time, the research found that 50% of those with a Will, and 41% of those aged over 70, have never changed it.
If anything, supporters are four times as likely to have added than removed a charity when making changes to their Will (43% vs 11%). Will your charity be aware of this? Probably not. The majority of pledgers (67%) have not told the charity they have left a donation in their Will.
The date of first writing a will is a new element to the research.
Lucinda Frostick, director of Remember A Charity, said:
“For the first time of running this study, we asked supporters to tell us how old they were when they wrote a charity into their Will, revealing that many pledgers include a charity at a younger age than fundraisers might anticipate. While this enthusiasm for giving amongst younger generations is greatly encouraging and bodes well for the future of the legacy market, the reality is that stewarding supporters for many decades is a challenge, particularly when so many pledgers are unknown.
“This generation of hidden pledgers emphasises the importance for charities of maintaining best practice across the board, building trust and confidence in all they do and of continuing to nurture every supporter as a prospective legator.”
Long-term rise in legacy giving
The study finds a continued rise in recognising the value and possibility of leaving a gift in a Will.
In 2010 13% of respondents rejected the concept of leaving a charitable gift in their Will, but by 2024 this had dropped to 8%.
Those most likely to have pledged a gift include:
- volunteers (29%)
- those who have been supported by or have fundraised for a charity (28%)
- and those who donate regularly (27% for weekly donors, and 25% for monthly donors).
Frostick highlighted the opportunity for charities in recognising the link between volunteers and likely legacy pledgers.
She said:
“While legacy giving may seem – and often is – a natural progression from regular giving, the study shows that there is a strong correlation with volunteering, along with those who have benefitted from charitable services.
“This highlights the opportunity for charities to ensure that their volunteers know about the importance of legacies, how valued they are and that any such gifts can help to make a difference to the charity’s work long into the future.”
What are the motivations for and barriers to legacy giving?
The prime motivations for including a charitable gift include the recognition that:
- even a small gift can make a difference (35%);
- charities rely on gifts in Wills to continue their vital work (30%);
- and leaving a gift is a natural step after supporting charities for a long time (27%).
And why might people not include a charitable gift?
The study found that, for those who have written a Will:
- 63% wanted to leave everything to family and friends
- 30% believed they didn’t have the money or assets to leave a large amount
- 25% simply didn’t think about it at the time
A summary report is published on the consortium’s website, with a full report and six legacy consumer personas available for Remember A Charity members here.
- Remember A Charity launches a wealth advisor committee (22 November 2024)
- Remember A Charity Week 2023: who’s doing what (14 September 2023)
- Legacy Futures and Smee & Ford partner to offer charities comprehensive legacy service (12 August 2024)
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.