Esther Benjamins Trust

Transforming the lives of marginalised and disadvantaged Nepalese children

Making a gift to The Trust in your Will

You can continue to make a difference by remembering the Trust in your Will. There are several different forms that a gift in your Will to a charity can take. The gift can be:

A specific legacy
A cash legacy
All or part of the residue of the estate

1. A specific gift - This could relate to a specific item, which you would like to leave to the charity. It may be anything from a small personal possession, shares, or it may be a larger item such as a piece of land or your home.

2. A cash legacy - This is a gift of a fixed sum of cash. There is no restriction on the minimum or maximum sum that you can leave to the charity.

3. A share, or the whole, of the residue of the estate - The residue of the estate comprises the assets remaining after the discharge or the payment of any liabilities, expenses and legacies. Through your Will you can indicate whether you wish to leave the whole or a percentage of the residue to your favoured charity.

When including a gift to a charity in a Will it is extremely important that the charity is clearly identifiable. Consideration should also be given to what should happen to the gift if the charity is no longer in existence at the date that the Will comes into effect.

A gift to a charity in your Will may have tax consequences, not only for the charity but also, for the other beneficiaries under the terms of your Will.

It is advisable to consider your Will on a regular basis as changes may have occurred that need to be reflected in your Will. If you are considering making a gift to a charity it is a good opportunity to give consideration to the terms of your Will and to ensure that it continues to comply with your wishes.

Whilst leaving a gift to a charity in your Will is to be encouraged, for a number of reasons care should be taken when making such a gift. However, once we receive the gift we promise to be good stewards of the donation and give the appropriate respect to the donor and to the bereaved.

The next step is to make sure that the will is drawn up or amended properly and for this we recommend in UK the services of Hart Brown Solicitor in Guildford, where Trustee Shaun Parry Jones is very happy to advise as a first point of contact.

This information is based on the Trust's understanding of relevant law and practice as at April 2005 and is for information purposes only. Before embarking on any action regarding your will, you should take professional advice tailored to your particular circumstances.

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