nfp Research have shared a useful summary of the new Smee & Ford ‘Legacy Giving Report 2025’
They say:
- 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
- In 2025, 33% of people who have written a Will report including a charitable gift (was 25% in 2020)
- 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
- The most commonly supported charities are:
- Health charities (39% of all legacy income)
- Animal charities (16%)
- Conservation charities (8%)
- 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. The average time between a pledge being made and the gift being received is about seven years
- 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