Leave a gift in your Will

Child sexual abuse is a problem that spans generations. It affects both those who have been abused and their families, as well as the families of those who abuse. And we know the problem isn’t going away.

A gift in your Will is an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy to a cause you care about.

Impact of leaving a gift in your Will

Your gift, no matter the size, will have a valuable and lasting impact on our work to keep children safe from sexual abuse. It is a gift that costs you nothing now, but will make a real difference in creating a safer future for children. Leaving a gift in your Will:

enables skilled advisors to answer calls, emails and live chats on our Stop It Now helpline. Every year, more than 8,000 people receive vital child protection advice and support from our team.

ensures that our experts produce resources for parents, carers and professionals to learn about the warning signs of abuse, how to talk about consent and other key information to help keep children safe from harm.

Your legacy will be at the forefront of our living-saving work to anticipate the next serious risk that children might face – and to create interventions and campaigns that save them from harm. Become a Faithfull Friend and help us on our journey to a world where all children can live free from sexual abuse and exploitation.

Why are Wills so important?

A Will is a legal document that lets you decide what happens to your money, property and possessions after your death.

Primarily, it’s the best way to make sure your friends and family are provided for. We understand that this is the most important thing to consider first. After you have made sure of that, a gift in your Will is an opportunity to make a final and lasting gift to a cause you care about. In some cases, leaving a gift to a charity in your Will can help reduce (or even eliminate entirely) the amount of inheritance tax payable from your estate. If you would like to know more about this, we recommend discussing it further with a legal professional.

Why our supporters have left a gift in their Will in their own words

I chose the Lucy Faithfull Foundation because it provides a wide range of support, I think [it] is crucial to help the victims of child abuse, protect children, and provide a place for those who might abuse to seek guidance. If my abuser had an opportunity to talk to someone then my childhood and adulthood might have been very different. - Matt, Faithfull Friend

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation began by drawing together a group of this country’s foremost experts and heroically committed to tackling the prevention of sexual abuse of children. Over time, their cumulative expertise has persuaded a doctrinal shift in the ways in which offenders and their victims are treated by the police and prison services, by the courts and by statutory agencies, and has now established the Foundation as the ‘go to’ non-governmental organisation for parents and professionals needing help on how to protect children from sexual harm. Its work is discreet at times harrowing and always unquestioningly crucial. - Richard Monk, CMG OBE QPM former Metropolitan Police Commander and UN Police Commissioner in Bosnia and Kosovo

Our promise

If you are considering leaving a gift in your Will to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, we want you to feel completely comfortable about it.

Our promises demonstrate our lasting commitment to you, your family and loved ones, and the children your gift will help.

We appreciate that your family and loved ones always come first and promise to treat you and your family with courtesy, compassion and respect.

You have the right to change your mind about a gift in your Will to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation at any time without telling us.

We understand that your Will is completely personal to you. We will always respect your privacy.

We will handle whatever gift you leave us efficiently, so that it can do the greatest good, and with the utmost care, sensitivity and respect.

Gifts in your Will

Types of gifts you can leave in your Will

A share of your estate (residuary gift)

This is a percentage of everything you own, minus any debts. This is a good thing to think about if you know you want to make a commitment, but don’t necessarily know what your future finances might look like. It is also likely to be the most effective way of maximising inheritance tax relief on your estate (again, we recommend discussing this further with a legal professional if you would like to know more).

A cash gift (pecuniary gift)

This is when you leave a set sum of money.

A specific gift

This is when you leave a gift that is not money, for example, a house or a car.

A postponed gift (reversionary gift)

This is when you leave a gift to someone for a period of time and then the gift goes to another beneficiary, such as a charity. For example, you may wish for someone to live in your house for their lifetime, but then for it to go to a charity when they pass away.

Prepare for writing your Will

In five simple steps

Step one: make a list of your assets. It can be a good idea to list your assets and estimate their value. This is something you can do yourself, saving you time and money with your solicitor. Your assets include things such as property, shares, savings and other items of value you own. The sum of these assets is your ‘estate’.

Step two: make a list of what you owe. Always try to write down what you owe or are owed. Considering an outstanding mortgage, loans, or bills, will give you a much better idea of the value of your estate.

Step three: decide who you would like to benefit and how. Make a list of the people and organisations – such as the charities you support – that you wish to remember in your Will, and consider how you would like to divide your estate between them.

Step four: choose your executors and meet your solicitor. An executor is the person you choose to carry out the terms of your Will, to ensure your wishes are fulfilled correctly. Most people choose their solicitor or trusted family members as executors.

Step five: keep it safe and up-to-date. Your Will is a very important document. Most people prefer to leave it in the care of their solicitor or legal advisor and keep their own copy in a safe place, ensuring their executors know where to find it.

If you are updating an existing Will, you can choose to either make a completely new Will or add a ‘codicil’ which would set out the changes to your existing Will and be read alongside it. In both cases, we recommend you speak to your solicitor.

Read through our legacy pack guide which includes all the information you need to start writing your Will.

Suggested wording

If you would like to leave a gift, we would recommend that you make or change your Will with the help of a solicitor or legal professional.

When you leave a gift, you will need to decide the type of gift you would like to give. To make everything as straightforward as possible, we have provided some suggested wording to use for the two main types of legacy gifts.

Residuary gift (a percentage of your estate)

“I leave percent of the residue of my real and personal estate to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation of Birch House, Harris Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B60 4DJ (Registered Charity Number in England and Wales 1013025 and Registered Charity Number in Scotland SC039888) (the “Legatee”).”

Pecuniary gift (a set sum)

“I give pounds (£ ) to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation of Birch House, Harris Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B60 4DJ (Registered Charity Number in England and Wales 1013025 and Registered Charity Number in Scotland SC039888) (the “Legatee”).”

In either case, whether you wish to make a residuary or pecuniary gift it may also be worth including wording along the lines of the following to make it clear whether you have any specific wishes in terms of how the gift should be used and to confirm (for the benefit of the personal representatives named in your Will) to whom (within the charity) the gift should be given: “I request the Legatee but without imposing any binding trust or legal obligation to use the legacy for […] OR [its general charitable purposes]. The receipt of the treasurer or other appropriate officer for the time being of the Legatee shall be a good discharge to my Executors.”

FAQs

Your questions, answered

Can I write my own Will?

For a Will to be valid, it must satisfy a number of specific legal requirements, in terms of the way that it is prepared and signed. To prevent any errors, we therefore recommend that you only write a Will through a qualified solicitor or a member of the Institute of Professional Will writers.

How does leaving a charitable gift in my Will affect my inheritance tax?

A gift to a charity may offer two inheritance tax advantages:

The gift itself should pass free of inheritance tax. In other words, it will reduce the part of your estate that is subject to inheritance tax and in some cases may bring the “chargeable” element to within the available allowance, meaning no inheritance tax is payable.
If the value of the charitable gift is of a certain size but the balance of the estate is still subject to inheritance tax, the rate of tax that applies may be reduced, saving yet more inheritance tax.

Your solicitor can advise further on how to structure your Will so as to ensure tax relief is captured and maximised.

How can I find a solicitor near me to make a Will?

You can visit the Law Society website for a list of legal professionals in your area.

Can I choose which project to leave my gift to within the Lucy Faithfull Foundation?

If you would like to discuss leaving a gift to a specific area of our work, then please get in contact with our fundraising team on 01372 847160, or email supporters@lucyfaithfull.org.uk.

Should I tell the Lucy Faithfull Foundation if I include them in my Will?

We really value being able to thank our supporters who have chosen to leave a legacy, but it’s entirely up to you whether or not you share your intentions with us. We understand this is a personal and sensitive matter, and that people’s circumstances and priorities can change over time.

What happens if I change my mind?

You are free to change your mind about leaving a gift in your Will to us at any time, and we completely understand that this is a personal decision. If you have told us that you are intending to leave us a gift, it would be helpful to let us know if that changes.

Write your will for free online

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation have partnered with Kwil to offer our supporters the opportunity to write or update their Will for free in as little as 30 minutes.

To redeem your free Will* simply click here and use code LUCY at checkout.

To speak to someone at Kwil, you can call 0800 061 4934 to talk you through the process.

For detailed advice on structuring your Will efficiently (to ensure you take full advantage of the potential tax relief referred to above, for example) you may of course prefer to consult your own solicitor.

*Remember, if you use our free Will service, you don’t have to leave a gift to us in your Will – providing for your family, friends and loved ones should always come first. But if you do choose to remember us, thank you. Your gift will help us to prevent more children from being harmed.

For more information please take a look at our legacy pack.

Contact us

To discuss supporting our work to protect children, please contact the fundraising team.

01372 847160

Impact of leaving a gift in your Will

Why our supporters have left a gift in their Will in their own words

Write your will for free online

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