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Everything you need to know about today’s legacy market

Legacy Giving Report 2025

Our first-ever Legacy Giving Report, produced collaboratively by Smee & Ford and Legacy Futures, reveals a record-breaking year for the legacy sector — with legacy income growing by 9% in 2024, up from just 1.3% the year before. But what is the picture when you dig deeper and what does it all mean for the future of legacies?

This free report presents the most comprehensive analysis of the legacy market to date, with fresh data, long-term trends, and real-world case studies designed to support you as fundraisers, legacy professionals, senior leaders, and boards members, in planning for the future.

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Sneak peak

  • Charitable estates soar
    Up from 22% the previous year, there were 46k charitable estates in 2024
  • Highest ever number of charitable bequests
    Largely due to clearing the probate backlog, 145k bequests were recorded last year
  • People who leave charitable gifts tend to be affluent
    The average estate size for those leaving a charitable gift was £559,000, compared to £394,000 for non-charitable estates

Shifting trends

Leading sectors

Legacy gifts now make up an average of 30% of fundraised income across the top 1,000 legacy supported charities, with some sectors such as animal, conservation, and disability charities seeing figures as high as 50%.

Income drivers

House prices, death rates and tax changes all play their part. To what extent and why these factors impact legacies is explored in the report, including the upcoming changes to Inheritance Tax and how these could affect donor behaviour.

A glance into the future

Although short-term projections indicate modest growth, the long-term outlook is strong. As the Baby Boomer generation moves into later life, the volume and value of legacy giving are expected to rise, with legacy income forecast to more than double by 2050 — reaching £10.5 billion (£6.3 billion in real terms).

What should charities be doing?

1. Embed legacy giving into your organisation’s culture and strategy

As our case studies show, cultural alignment – from trustees to volunteers – can dramatically accelerate impact.

2. Start with warm audiences

Existing supporters, donors, and volunteers are the most likely legacy pledgers. Build campaigns that nurture these relationships over the long term.

3. Make a compelling case to your supporters

Storytelling, transparency, and demonstrating real-life impact are crucial for building trust

“In sharing such a comprehensive overview of the nation’s legacy giving, with key trends and projections for the future, The Legacy Giving Report will no doubt become a go to benchmarking and guidance resource for fundraisers looking to develop their legacy fundraising and bolster broader fundraising strategies.”

Rob Cope, Executive Director Membership & Operations, CIOF

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Data

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A collaboration between Legacy Futures, Smee & Ford and Remember A Charity.

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