Legacy Giving
Leaving a legacy to your church is just another form of giving. Gifts left in wills are a really valuable source of income for parish churches and are worth around £60 million a year.
Legacies can be a lifeline for our parishes. For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God. It is also a way to make a difference to the future of their church and community.
According to the 2021 Anglican Giving Survey undertaken by the CofE, Anglicans are three times as likely to leave a legacy to other charities as they are to church.
One of the reasons for this may well be as a result of one of the Survey’s other findings; that only 15% of Anglicans have ever been asked to leave a legacy to their church.
Of those who have, the most common reason for doing so was that they had been asked. That being the case, it is important that people are asked. A significant part of that is providing information about why legacies are needed by our churches and communicating this to our members.
The National Giving Team has launched two useful products a customisable legacy leaflet and a customisable bookmark. These resources are a great way to remind people about why legacies are important, and to share how legacy gifts will further your church’s vision into the future. Detailed guides are available to help you add your own text and images to the leaflet and bookmark. The customisable leaflet and bookmark are available at a small cost and there are many other legacy resources available to you church which you can order free of charge.
Other Resources
Church of England Legacies webpage
Advice, support and resources from the national Church.
Parish Resources
Further resources to encourage legacy giving
Farewill
A free and professional will-writing service. The Church of England has partnered with Farewill, the UK’s favourite will writer, to offer a free online will writing service. Making a will and keeping it updated is an important part of Christian Stewardship and with Farewill individuals in this Diocese can do it from the comfort of their home, for free and in less than 30 minutes.
Faith Will (Christian Aid)
For the first time, Christian Aid is working alongside the Church of England to encourage people of faith to remember their own church, and Christian Aid, in their Will. This is a natural partnership, as those who would like to leave a gift to an international charity such as Christian Aid, are also likely to want to leave a legacy to their church, if the idea is suggested to them. Every conversation you have could help create lasting change for generations to come. All of the resources provided are completely free.