Charities that are most likely to benefit from gifts in wills

GIFTS left in wills are vital to charities – and new data shows it’s often good causes associated with cancer, animals and poverty that we’re likely to remember in our final wishes. Co-op Legal Services said its business data reveals the financial value of gifts being left to charity has risen by over 30% in the past 12 months.

Here’s a breakdown of the charity categories Co-op’s clients have chosen to leave gifts to:

■ 1. Cancer charities

■ 2. Animal charities

■ 3. Poverty and homelessness

■ 4. Local causes/community

■ 5. International charities

■ 6. Hospices

■ 7. Children’s charities

■ 8. Rescue organisations

■ 9. Religious causes

■ 10. Help for the elderly

And it isn’t just money that’s left to charity, with houses, land, paintings and music collections also having been left.

James Antoniou, head of wills for Co-op Legal Services, says: “There is certainly still a desire for clients to leave charitable gifts of all types in wills, for a variety of personal reasons, and this is something that the charities heavily rely on.”

Here are his tips for leaving gifts to charities in wills:

■ 1. There are no set rules to follow when choosing which charity or charities a person would like to benefit in their will. Typically though, people are either passionate about a particular cause or they have been impacted either directly or indirectly in some way by the charity.

■ 2. It’s possible to leave anything that’s in a person’s estate to a charity, including their property, land, shares or a specific item such as a piece of jewellery or art, for example. If you would like the charity to use the inheritance for a particular purpose, then you should discuss this with them in advance to make sure it’s feasible.

■ 3. There isn’t a limit on the number of charities to which a person can leave a gift in their will. However, it is important to consider which items or how much money to give to each charity.