Are you leaving money to charity in your will?

[TheRebel]

I work for a solicitor so I see a fair few wills as part of my job, and the majority of the charities that people leave gifts to are animal charities and churches, I don’t think I’ve ever seen money being left to children’s charities or charities that help vulnerable people.

I just wondered if it’s just to do with the local area we’re in or is this the norm?

Most churches have programs in place to help children and vulnerable people...

But I would leave money - if I did - to the charities I regularly donate to in life. That includes Pets of the Homeless, a local wildlife rescue, Meningococcal and Type 1 Diabetes charities...

No plans to atm .

Am i planning on leaving my money to a Charity CEO for their pension pot ? No. No i am not.

Actually currently proof reading ours this weekend. I have vaguely thought about it, but as the kids are young, and one has SN I think it's best if the estate went to them for the time being. I am aware though how much the various SN charities mean to us right now so still regularly donate now.

No because I was under the impression the charity can sue in order to get more. I appreciate a lot of charities wouldn't dream of acting like this, but I wouldn't want to cause unnecessary hassle for my family.

If there's actually enough to go around by the time I'm dead, I might ask my family to do on my behalf. If they do it- great, if they don't, well then I won't be around to be pissed off about it.

Coincidentally my aunt died at Christmas and left 50% of her estate to the NHS.

It has MASSIVELY impacted on the other beneficiaries (which I am not)

The charity have got total control over EVERY aspect of the Will & her estate, we have been very surprised, having never experienced this before.

I had left funds to a charity in mine but having seen just how nasty this particular charity is in this scenario, have changed it.

Mine now states one sole beneficiary and that person categorically can be trusted to then disperse accordingly.

I have read articles that say animal charities receive higher donations than children's charities..
No I don't have anything to leave. I regularly give food to food Bank.

No. I don't have much to leave. It will all go to my children.

No, Dh gets everything, whom failing, dcs, whom failing our siblings. We haven’t made any specific bequests at all. This is exactly what my parents and grandparents did too, so it’s the norm in my family.

I give to charities while I’m alive though, so don’t know why I don’t want to leave them something... maybe because it feels like it’s no longer my money at that point? Don’t know.

One of dh’s granddads has gone mad with the bequests and thinks they are a means to manipulate the family. Picks favourites (including Babies ) and decides who gets how much in his will, which he changes very frequently. The result is nobody likes him, including the “favourites” and nobody wants his horrible old tat either. Although, the fact he’s a racist, mysoginistic and general bigoted bastard might have something to do with it also.

Sorry for the slightly irrelevant rant there^^!

Charity begins at home. If I have anything left it's going to my family.

Am i planning on leaving my money to a Charity CEO for their pension pot ? No. No i am not.

So are people who work for charities not entitled to a pension then? I've worked for charities my whole career. We're massively underpaid for what we to, but do it because we believe in the caused we work for. I'm not sure why that should mean we should thrn spend our retirement in poverty. Many small charities (which is most charities) didn't offer an occupational pension under recent changes in the law forced them too, simply because those charities couldn't afford to to so. I know many charity workers in their 40s and even 50s who had never had a private pension prior to those laws coming in. I think it's doubtful a huge proportion of donations in wills go on the CEOs pension.

@Cloudywithalotofsunshine that’s interesting, I’d heard that they can be a bit mercenary because they have to squeeze out every last penny, but if it actually puts people off leaving a gift to charity then it backfires a bit.

Yes, OP, this experience has been so negative for the other beneficiaries that I have actually cried from seeing the extra stress put on lived ones left to deal with it.

Our solicitor’s bill has totalled £13k so far, the delays caused because the charity refused to accept the only offer made on property etc & from what I gather, it wouldn’t have been this high without the charity being involved. The whole situation has dragged on and on and a few people are starting to resent it. It’s no longer about the deceased, the charity have made sure of that.

What was already a sad situation has now been made worse. And there is NOTHING I can do to console the grieving.

That’s awful @cloudy . Very off putting for anyone even vaguely considering leaving anything to a charity.

It’s a shame because the charity trustees are only trying to do their job. I can see it from both sides.

The charity gets involved in the will ? My goodness that’s shocking. The only people I know who have left everything to the church are childless couples .

I wouldn’t leave charities a penny in my will after seeing how charities seem to love a bit of litigation if there’s money and a will involved.
Also, after working for a small charity I was utterly shocked to find out over 90% of the charities income paid wages, pensions and office costs. They also discriminated against my autistic husband so horribly that we ended up going to IT- but that’s another tale.
When I give to charities now I give either my time or physical things - dog blankets and treats, toys etc. Sanitary protection, toiletries, toys to local homeless and local women’s refuge . My ex CEO claimed for everything they could. And I mean, everything.

Yep - had a similar experience to Cloudy.

It was pretty brutal and really felt like the charity would have liked to chop her finger off in order to get at 30% of her wedding ring.

MrsElla if you don't want your donation to go to the CEO's salary you can always specify that and say how you'd like the money spent. Don't let that get in the way of your generosity.

No idea who to leave my money, if I ever actually accumulate much. No kids. I guess (assuming our parents die before DH and I) our siblings would inherit, unless we make a will otherwise. I might just prefer a charity CEO. Currently considering making a will to leave everything to my godson.

My mum is leaving money to the Franciscans

I donate and volunteer for charities while I'm living. My children will benefit financially when I die.

I have made a will and left everything to my nieces and nephew. I refused to leave anything to charity as I had read reports of how some charities were hassling relatives . I did feel a little guilty but think I made the right decision.

No fucking way. If I am dying I'll give out my money to whom I want before I die. But never, ever to charity.