Talking about money can be awkward. Pair it with the topic of death, and you’ve got a conversation most of us would rather avoid altogether! But this is a conversation worth having. So hold onto your hats, because we’re about to delve into the world of Legacy Giving!
Legacy Giving – leaving a gift to charity in your Will – might not be something you’ve ever thought about but it's becoming increasingly common. According to Remember A Charity, more than one in five charity donors aged 40 and over (21%) say they’ve included a charitable gift in their Will. That’s up from just 14% in 2010. Meanwhile, fewer people are ruling it out – just 9%, down from 13% in 2010.
And it’s not just something to consider later in life. The average age of those writing a Will in the UK is 51. People are thinking about these things earlier than we might assume. The coming years are also set to see what economists are calling the Great Wealth Transfer – an unprecedented passing down of trillions of pounds from one generation to the next. This changing financial landscape opens the door for deeper conversations about what we leave behind.
That’s where Hands at Work in Africa comes in. For small charities like ours, legacy gifts aren’t just helpful – they can make a vital difference to the vulnerable communities we serve. They can be the reason a Care Worker continues to visit children each week, assessing their home situation and safety. They can mean the three essential services – food, access to education and basic health care – continue uninterrupted, alongside belonging and dignity for a child who might otherwise be forgotten.
If you know Hands at Work well, you already know the power of this model. You’ve seen communities transformed through the faithful, day-in, day-out love of local volunteer Care Workers. For those of you who are newer to our work, I invite you to find out more and become a part of something bigger – of God’s Kingdom on Earth.
In a world of plenty, no child should go hungry. We defy the voices that say the problem is too big and there’s nothing we can do. What we do with what we have – big or small – can have a lasting impact. So, we invite you: will you consider leaving a legacy gift to Hands at Work and, in doing so, continue to be a part of re-writing the story for good?
Bringing hope to the world starts with us.
