From 10th – 16th September, Remember a Charity in your Will is raising awareness about the importance of gifts in wills and encourage you to consider how you can include a charity in your will, once family and friends have been provided for.
If you’re considering how to encourage legacy giving in your church, you may find the below case study from St Herbert’s, Carlisle helpful.
Enjoy the excerpt below or you can view the whole case study by clicking here
Handled with Sensitivity and Love
“One of the most interesting aspects of our stewardship over the last year has come through legacy giving.
Stewardship is always challenging for every church, especially those in a challenging context with high deprivation. I found that talking to people plainly and openly about the difference gifts in wills can make, did not come across as a taboo subject, but rather they were glad to be able to hear about how they could help after they had gone. It gave them a sense of ‘value to the church’, a sense of contributing to the church after passing in a financial way that they couldn’t afford whilst alive. Many people are simply not aware of the value to a church of leaving a legacy gift and ‘didn’t think of it’, and say ‘what a good idea’. It gave them a feeling of satisfaction whilst they were alive and added to their feeling of being a disciple.”
The Rev Alun Jones has been vicar at St Herbert’s, Carlisle, for over 14 years.