How PCCs can encourage people to review their wills.

PCCs are invited to review the subject of wills and legacy giving.  There are three things that PCCs should consider doing : 

• Encourage people to make and review their wills. For nearly 500 years the Church of England has encouraged people to do this - find out more! 
   
• Make a policy on how the PCC will use legacies in future, and publicise it to the congregation. People will only leave legacies if they think the church will use them for development projects, not simply to fund current operating expenses. 

  So PCCs need to agree a policy on how legacy income will be spent. It is advisable to discourage restricted legacies. So the policy might be on the lines of: The policy of the PCC is to use legacies to help fund significant development projects in the parish, whether buildings, equipment or staff. As circumstances change over the years, it may not be possible to fulfil specific donor requests, so church members are encouraged to leave legacies for the general purposes of the parish. The PCC will discuss with executors the most appropriate use of the legacy in the light of current projects and the donor's known areas of interest in the church (e.g. children & youth, music, buildings).

• Find someone to encourage legacies, and to promote giving in general.  Good practice from the national stewardship network is to appoint a "Parish Giving Officer". Encouraging legacies, and circulating material, flows naturally alongside the encouraging of giving.  Find out more.