Legacy giving has long been a cornerstone of charitable income in the UK. But with the UK on the brink of the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history, there’s renewed interest in what the future holds for gifts left in wills – and what this means for different parts of the sector.

Smee & Ford’s recently released Legacy Giving Report 2025 has sparked plenty of conversation. Drawing on decades of legacy data, it paints a picture of a healthy and growing market. As researchers with a longstanding interest in legacy giving, we wanted to share our perspective, including how public attitudes are shifting and where we see room for further growth, particularly for children’s charities.

Encouraging signs for legacy giving

Our own public polling through nfpIntelligence echoes many of the findings in Smee & Ford’s report. In short: awareness and participation are moving in the right direction.

• Awareness is rising. In April 2020, 85% of the UK public knew they could leave a gift to charity in their will. By March 2025, that figure had grown to 91%.
• More people are taking action. 33% of people who have written a will now report including a charitable gift – up from 25% five years ago.
• Openness is increasing. In March 2025, 41% said they would consider leaving a legacy gift, compared to 34% in 2020.

There’s also been a cultural shift. Legacy giving is no longer a niche or uncomfortable topic – it’s increasingly recognised as a meaningful and generous way to support causes people care about. Charities that invest in long-term legacy strategies and who communicate the impact of legacy gifts clearly, are likely to benefit in the years ahead.

Which causes do people support through legacy giving?

As Smee & Ford’s data shows, health charities currently attract the largest share of legacy income (38.6%), followed by animal charities (15.8%) and conservation charities (7.9%). This aligns with public sentiment. In our own polling, cancer, animals and children and young people consistently rank as the public’s favourite causes.

But there’s a striking gap. While 28% of people say their favourite charities work with children and young people, only 3% of legacy income goes to this sector.

This isn’t a criticism of donors – people give for deeply personal and often emotional reasons. Rather, it’s a prompt to ask: why might children’s charities be underrepresented in legacy giving, and what could be done to change that?

Bridging the gap: challenges and opportunities

There are likely several reasons behind this disconnect. Age may be one. Our data shows that charities supporting children and young people are especially popular among 25-34 year olds (44%) but less so among over-55s (17%) – the age group more likely to be making or updating a will. If children’s charities aren't top of mind at the point of will-writing, they may be missed out altogether.

Visibility of legacy giving may also play a role. While children’s charities like Barnardo’s are among the most top-of-mind organisations for the public – it ranks 8th in our nfpPublic UK spontaneous recall data – this strong brand recognition doesn’t always translate into visibility for legacy giving specifically. The issue may not be sector-wide visibility, but rather how and where legacy messaging features within supporter journeys. Are charities making the ask consistently, and is it woven throughout their communications, or still treated as a standalone campaign targeted at older audiences?

Cancer Research UK has spoken publicly about how legacy giving is embedded across their organisation, with all departments trained to mention it and with high-value donors invited to see first-hand the impact of their support. This kind of integration and stewardship takes time and investment, but it pays off. For them, the average time between a pledge being made and the gift being received is about seven years, so it’s clear that this is very much a long game.

There’s also something to be said for storytelling. Animal charities have long used emotive storytelling to bring legacy giving to life, which has shown how a gift can protect vulnerable animals well into the future. Could children’s charities do something similar? To give supporters a sense of behind-the-scenes impact or help them imagine how their gift could shape someone’s future could make all the difference in strengthening the case for support.

Lessons from leaders in legacy

So, what can children’s charities (and others looking to strengthen their legacy work) take from all this?

• Make the ask early. Don’t wait until supporters are older: plant the seed early and revisit it often.
• Integrate legacy messaging across teams and departments – not just in fundraising but across comms, services and events.
• Invest in relationships, whether with supporters or with partners like solicitors. Free will-writing services, for example, have worked well for some charities, though they do require upfront investment.
• Educate supporters. Explain how a gift could help future generations – and, if possible, show them. A tour, a case study, a video from a beneficiary: all of these can bring the impact to life.
• Understand your audience. Knowing what motivates your supporters (and, crucially, what holds them back) is key to making legacy giving relevant and personal.

A clear opportunity for children’s charities

The message is clear: children’s charities are well-loved and widely supported but underrepresented when it comes to legacy giving. With growing public awareness, a generational shift in wealth and more people open to the idea of including charities in their wills, now is the time to re-examine legacy strategies.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. But those who invest in the long-term, who tell powerful stories and who meet their supporters where they are, stand to benefit from this growing area of giving – and help ensure that future generations continue to benefit too.