Legacies – only 27,000 people a year leave a charitable bequest

Howard Lake | 1 April 2000 | News

Richard Radcliffe of Smee and Ford reports on the latest figures on charitable bequests.

Richard Radcliffe of probate analysts Smee and Ford writes on charitable will-making in the latest Royal Society of Arts Journal. “Legacies are the single largest source of voluntary income available to charities,” he writes, “accounting for 34% of voluntary income.”

They are worth £1.2 billion to charities, five times more than the sum donated by businesses to charities, yet they come from just 27,000 people. “Why is it that 85% of the population give to charity in their lifetime but only 5% include charitable bequests on their death?” asks Radcliffe.

Seventeen per cent of people die intestate – without a will. The probate value of all 237,000 wills each year is £19.8 billion, of which only £1.2 billion is donated to charity. The average female legator dies at 82, compared to the average female who dies at 80. The average male legator dies at 79, compared to the average mail who dies at 77. The average citizen dies at 69 if intestate, 79 if testate, and 82 if testate and leaving a charitable bequest. Hence Smee and Ford’s amusing comment that if you write a will and leave a charitable bequest you are likely to live a couple of years longer.

Radcliffe reports that will writing is increasing: intestacy has decreased over the last 10 years, down from 21% to 17%. Unfortunately the percentage of charitable legacies has not increased.

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.