Gifts and Wills
A charitable legacy is a gift of money, property or an item left in a will. This type of giving to charity is commonly referred to as gifts in wills. Gifts in wills can be left to parish churches, cathedrals and dioceses and are exempt from inheritance tax.
Each year around 4,000 people leave a gift in their will to their church, funding mission projects, maintaining beautiful church buildings and growing faithful communities. For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God.
Many supporters would like to know how they could leave a gift in their will to their parish church but may not know who to speak to or how to go about it. It is important for all churches to make information on gifts in wills available and to inspire members about the difference their gift could make.
How can you encourage people to leave a lasting legacy to your church?
Church Publishing and Outreach have a free PCC Legacy Toolkit, you can run a legacy campaign in church, make and communicate a Legacy Policy for your church.
One of the best ways is to share stories of the impact of a legacy and what leaving a legacy will mean to your church, how your church will benefit from it like the stories from Alphington below. Consider running a legacy event in church; this helpful guide offers examples and suggestions of what to include in your event, how to make it engaging, and the important key messages to share.
More top tips
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- Make information available through newsletters or on your website to inspire members about the difference leaving a legacy can make.
- Gifts can be made to churches, Dioceses and Cathedrals.
- Run a Legacy Campaign in your church
- All churches hold charitable status; all charitable gifts to the Church of England are exempt from Inheritance Tax.
- Make a legacy policy available and encourage unrestricted gifts. (example template)
- Talk about, or share on your website, how you have used legacies to further your mission and ministry.
- Include legacies in sermons or run a special campaign. Wills month happens in March and October.
- Even if someone has already written their will, they can include a legacy to the church by adding a codicil or a letter of wishes.
- Saying ‘Thank you’ is so important and appreciated. Perhaps the greatest expression of thanks is showing the impact a legacy has made.
- Put out legacy leaflets and other informative literature in your church – follow this link to download free resources. Alterntively, click here to order hard copies.
- Share a story of how the church has benefited from a legacy in the past, click here to find out more
- Use the Church of England’s online free will writing scheme, for more information click here
There are more resources and tips in the Church Legacy section of the Church of England website.
Please contact us if you would like any help or you want to share your stories and experiences.
Farewill
Farewill is an online will writing service. Will writing can often seem like a time-consuming and difficult thing to do – and that’s a big reason why many people put it off. To make it easier, the Church of England has partnered with Farewill, the UK’s favourite will writer, to offer a free online will writing service which you can do from the comfort of your home in less than 30 minutes.
Making a will and keeping it updated is the only way to make sure your wishes are carried out after your death, giving you peace of mind that you can continue to support the family, friends and charities you love.
We hope you’ll consider leaving a gift to a local church you have loved to help its ministry and mission thrive for the benefit of future generations
Click on the picture to start writing your wishes.
Click here for The Church of England’s guidance on Letters of wishes alongside your will.
