Writing our will - which charity

[whichcharity]

NC for this post.

We are very fortunate and have a large estate, we are in our 50s and both work and are rewriting our wills.

We have two children who will be left the majority of our estate when we die (we do not have other family or close friends)

Our children are likely to be come very wealthy when we die. We want to ensure that they get some of our estate but a large proportion we would like to leave to charity, and should the unthinkable happen and we all die, the majority to charity.

We will discuss this with our children (currently at university) and we believe they will support this decision as they, like us, would want to work and not be left sums of money which would mean they would never have to work again.

Obviously we will revisit our wills as time goes on etc.

We already have some local charities that we support but the sums involved are likely to be considerable, we will leave money to the charities we know and support but we would like to add in some larger charities.

We are currently thinking Children in Need and medicine sans frontieres.

Does anyone have any knowledge about how we can actually find out how effective charities are, or charities similar to these where we know our donations will be put to good use.

please no judgement about this, we do already support many charities and we have not inherited this wealth but built it up ourselves (and on reflection perhaps should have spent less time working and more time living)

Thank you for any help specific to effectiveness of charities.

He and his fellow volunteers spent weeks up to their knees in freezing mud. They built platforms for the tents to raise them up out of the freezing mud. They delivered donated clothes and blankets. They asked the women what they wanted and then built safe toilets and showers and sinks so the women were not raped every time they took their children or laundry to the washing facilities.
They collected red cross food parcels and bribed the guards to allow them to take them into the camp.
None of the foreign aid from the uk or large charities contributed to any of this. It all disappeared long before.
Wasn't it another large charity that forced children to offer sexual favours to their "workers" before they gave them the food parcels?
Honestly, I am disillusioned.

Exactly!! And even people in more well paid roles for charities could probably earn more elsewhere.

How do you think a charity is supposed to attract skilled staff to achieve their aims if they don’t pay them fairly?

I would leave it to your children with a letter of wishes asking them to donate to a local hospice, but not naming an amount or percentage.
I’d also give some of it now if you can afford to…

I wouldn’t specify a charity but instead think about what I want to do with the money and appoint your children to choose the actually charity. Then they get the pleasure of choosing and it becomes a family thing.

For what area I would instruct them to donate within - I would have a look at all the really horrendous rare diseases that exist that kill children. (The one I have a connection with is Hunters disease but there are many.) Helping to find a cure for one of them would be an amazing thing that would change the world forever.

As others have said there are problems with both a percentage and a fixed amount. I would probably write my will as follows:-
X amount to my children
If enough remaining Y to a charity to do ABC (as chosen by my children)
All remaining amount to my children

where you expect there to be comfortably some in the “all remaining to my children” area.

I would also think about specifically leaving a fund for both your grandchildren and your great grandchildren. You just don’t know what will happen in the future and the idea that there is some support for all these descendants is a really nice one.

A final word…. A lot of charities are really struggling right now because of the triple whammy of rising costs, increased demand, and exceptionally difficult fundraising environment. If you are in a position to give, then your donation is likely to be massively appreciated.

The charity my gran left money to hounded my mum until they received their cash.

They’re ruthless.

The law means they have to be

Wouldn't you just choose your fave charity that's what we've done.

Yes it's better to give now while you're alive to the really small charities rather than the larger ones after your death. The larger ones will spend ££ on charity solicitors to extract the cash from grieving families. There's nothing wrong with choosing the right charity to give it to & it's better done while you're alive.

As I've mentioned before go down the philanthropic model & set up a charitable foundation. A specialist solicitor or an organisation like Charity Impact or the Prism Gift fund can guide you through it.