Churches are missing out on their share of the millions that legacy giving can bring – don’t let your church be one of them
Simple steps to benefit from this resource
See how legacies from people like you can make a big difference to your local church. This inspiring video includes footage from St Luke’s West Derby:
How you can benefit from legacy giving
Regular planned giving to Anglican churches outstrips giving to our biggest UK charities, but by contrast, we are poor relations when it comes to receiving gifts in wills.
There is so much goodwill in our communities towards their local churches whilst congregation members may have given faithfully all their lives, yet churches are missing out on millions. A will and gifts in wills matter.
Resources for your church
- New Liverpool Diocese Legacy Information flyer – download here. Print and distribute around your church/parish.
- Edit your own Legacy Information flyer on Canva – use this template. Add your own pictures and information to make the flyer bespoke to your church/parish.
- Coming soon – Template to edit your own Legacy Information Booklet
Farewill
Farewill is the award winning and largest will writer in the UK. In partnership with the Church of England Farewill are offering a free online will writing service for Anglican churches. A more complex will can be done via a telephone call. Your online will is checked by the Farewill team of legal experts. The Farewill team are available to offer advice by live chat or on the phone 7 days a week, from 09.00 to 19.00 every day.
Your Liverpool Resources Team can help with advice and literature to encourage folks to make a will and – without obligation – leave a legacy to their church.
- See the national church website for more information
- Check out the C of E page on Farewill’s excellent website
Making a will
A will is a legal document and we strongly advise you to seek professional advice when making or changing your will. The Church of England’s own legacies website (see the Useful resources box) is a valuable resource for individuals wanting to know how to make a will and leave a gift in their will. The Parish Resources website offers guidance to churches that want to encourage their members to make both a will and a gift in that will.
The Book of Common Prayer urges Christian people ‘to take order for the settling of their temporal estates whilst they are in health’, noting that a will assists our executors and is, of course, an act of love and provision for those we love. An up-to-date will also ensures that the people and charities you want to receive a share of your estate actually do so.
Leaving a gift in our will
A gift in our will may be the largest gift we have ever been able to make to the church that has nurtured our faith and the charities we have supported in life. Remembering your church in your will helps to ensure that the work they do continues into the future. In 2011 over half a million pounds was received by churches in our Diocese. Each gift, large and small, was important. There is no doubt that legacy gifts have helped make possible various projects that have improved and/or extended the facilities provided by our churches for their local community.
Inviting gifts in wills to your church
Each church needs a simple legacy strategy and some attractive resources for those thinking about leaving a legacy to their church. The Resources Team has partnered with Christian Aid to offer practical, hands-on advice to deaneries and parishes in creating a simple legacy pack and exploring how to talk about gifts in wills sensitively and confidently. Contact Steve Pierce at St James’ House for more information.
Digital giving
It is becoming more popular for family and friends to make donations to their late relatives or friends’ favourite charities as a memorial gift to celebrate their life.
Churches can create specific fundraising pages that may be circulated through social media websites, newspaper obituaries, or directly to their usual congregation.
Please note, it is Diocesan policy that verbal requests for donations should never be made during funeral or burial services.
Useful resources
Beyond the Collection Plate
Chapter Six
Church of England guidance
for those leaving a Will:
Church Legacy
For church councils:
Parish Resources
Booklets & Leaflets
Other organisations
Will Aid
Christian Legacy
JustGiving: in memory of a loved one
Useful contacts
Diocese of Liverpool
Resources Team
resources.team@liverpool.anglican.org
0151 705 2180
National Legacy Support
Eleanor Stead
Deputy National Giving Officer
eleanor.stead@churchofengland.org