Wills - what worthy charity would you choose?

[LoveRules]

We are getting married and therefore redrafting our wills. We both have children from previous relationships so a little bit complex which we have worked through.

Our will writer has advised that in a worst case improbable scenario it is best to write in who our estates might go to if everyone pre-deceases the owner of the will to avoid being intestate.

I'd like to leave my share to an impoverished but life long friend plus a worthy charity but don't know who to choose. Maybe smile train or a mental health charity but would be interested in who others might choose.

The local animal rescue that we adopted our boys from🐈🐈‍⬛. No kids so they are our babies and the time and care and commitment that was spent matching us with the right cats and ensuring that 2 cats with the same long term health condition both got a happy home, even though neither had ever lived with another cat before was so so touching. They went above and beyond and created our furry family for us.

I would rather leave money to friends and family than a charity. If it's such an improbable scenario anyway, why not just leave your whole share to your friend?

I once saw a documentary about this place and would love to be in the position to help these poor girls with terrible injuries often caused by giving birth at too young an age.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/may/23/fistula-women-ethiopia

The OP clearly wants to leave some to a charity. I'm not sure why you would want to discourage this?

Fair enough if it isn't what you would choose, but the more people that choose to remember charities in their wills, the better.

Whales 😭

I’m going to do that next time I revise my will, and put the cat rescue I foster for.

They do amazing work on very little cash.

Are you not leaving anything to your children?

In our wills, if there's any balance left after specific legacies to family (i.e. if our named beneficiaries have died before us), then the balance is split over several charities, mostly local ones that we know of and know what benefit they provide to the local area, but also to the RNLI as we live by a dangerous bay and know the good work they do. I won't leave a penny to the "professional" lobby based charities who spend huge amounts on political campaigning. I want to the see the money used directly on people who benefit.

It may astound you to hear this, but some people don't have children so this discussion is of value for many.

RNLI
Mountain Rescue
Local small charity.

Air ambulance
British Lung Foundation

Another 'DON'T is don't leave a percentage of your estate, leave a fixed sum.

Once a charity has skin in the game they are like rabid dogs with a bone and can make life for your executor and other beneficiaries a nightmare.

Probate already takes approx 2 years and a charity receiving a percentage can draw it out for even longer.

Mine would go to Guide dogs and Girlguiding on a local level to benefit a campsite or opportunities for girls who might not otherwise afford them.

Guide dogs do so much good. And they change lives.

Women’s Aid

Every single day women on MN are advised to seek support from WA.

Women in general have less money than men. I bet not many men support Women’s Aid.

Also my former employer, a charity making a huge difference to many young people.

(I am an ex Charity CEO who was on a crap salary. I had huge responsibilities, managed a massive project with huge financial and legal implications, worked anti social hours, had loads of experience which I used daily with difficult and vulnerable people, did political lobbying etc etc. Low salary, employers pension contributions paid at the lowest level at the last possible minute, and am now barely living on what the pension forecasters show as the just getting by income. So personally I am not in favour of withholding money for staff costs)

Also Ty Hafan in Wales is a wonderful charity that does so much for life limited children. It’s a hospice by the sea for children and as heartbreaking as their work is… it’s essential that they fundraise.

Read the OP.

This is in the event that the children and all other beneficiaries pre-decease her, or go at the same time.

Why don’t you just leave it to any kids that your kids might have.
I wouldn’t name a random person or a charity - they’ll take it even if you have grandchildren that you didn’t know about at the time of writing. Because they’d be legally entitled to.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/09/new-builds-birds-rspb

I've worked for a number of large national and international charities, the ethical standards of those at the top were shocking. One aimed at helping underprivileged children had me sitting between two colleagues who each owned a Ferrari.
Local or special interest charities that you identify with would be favourite for me.

I have worked for RSPB and National Trust plus two other smaller charities. I would look at the salary of the CEO and also how much goes in administration. DH managed a regional charity and reckoned for administration 5% was good, over 10% and they need their systems examining. Also whether the Charities Commission has had accounts. Our county Air Ambulance didn't submit accounts for almost a decade. How much they have in the bank - Guide Dogs had a quarter of a billion or thereabouts, last time I looked. That's a lot of money people have given to help and it's sitting in the bank, not doing what it was given for.

The OP stated that she has children

Local air ambulance or the hospice that looked after my grandad many years ago. Failing that the RNLI

I would choose a local one who'd really feel the benefit. Maybe a respite centre for family carers.

DH & I have mirror wills - ours would go to The Brain Tumour Charity. My mum died from a brain tumour; my brother's best friend at uni died from one & a girl in my DDs school also died from one. The survival rate is horrendous & only a tiny fraction (3%) of cancer research funds goes into brain tumour research with most treatments the same as it was 30+ years ago, yet it's the biggest cancer killer of children & people under 40.
Go for something that's personal to you.

I'd leave mine to Youth homelessness/care leaver support. Local or national. And Abortion Support Uk.

The two that immediately spring to mind are:

Sophie Lancaster foundation
Bret Brednar foundation