Death is a touchy subject. There is the potential for it to feel crass or disrespectful to discuss making a donation via a will, so how do charities go about promoting legacy giving?  

First and foremost we must recognise that if people aren’t aware of legacy giving, they won't be able to sign-on. Through our general public research in the Republic of Ireland and the UK we have found that a majority of the public are aware they can leave a legacy in a will, however. In May 2024, 80% of our survey participants in Ireland said they were aware you could leave a gift to charity in their will. In March 2024, 90% of our survey participants in the UK said they were aware of this.  

If people know about legacy giving, the next step would be sharing how to do it. Last October during a focus group with regular givers in Ireland we found that people do not know how to leave a legacy donation. One participant mentioned that they only became aware of legacy giving through a solicitor who helped write their will. So, although this passive awareness of legacy giving is high, an active awareness of how it works is lacking. The logistics around the end of someone's life can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. Writing a will is part of that process. When asked this year if they would consider using a free will writing service from their favourite charity in exchange for a gift a majority of people in Ireland (61%) and the UK (61%) said yes they would.  

We last discussed legacy giving with our Irish clients in 2018, and since then we have seen growth in public involvement in the scheme.  The number of those who answered yes to leaving a donation in their will has grown in Ireland from 30% in April 2018 to 40% in May 2024, and the UK from 30% in April 2018 to 40% in March 2024.  

While consideration numbers are the same, the numbers on actions for legacy giving are not. The UK has been ahead of Ireland in action for some time. Survey respondents were asked if they had included any charities as beneficiaries in the wills in April 2018, and 8% of the UK general public took action by including a charity in their will, whereas Ireland had only 3% of the public doing the same. In March 2024 the UK rate had increased to 10% of the general public with a charity in their will, whereas Ireland had grown to 7%. Even though there is a gap in the numbers, the rate that the public are taking action in Ireland and the UK is increasing.  

Although discussing death and wills can be uncomfortable, if we aren’t having these conversations people will be less informed of their options, making it certain they will not participate in legacy giving.  If you want to learn more about our research in this field or any of our work with the Irish public consider downloading a briefing pack below.