Legacy gifts can be used to fund mission and ministry projects, help to maintain historic church buildings, and ensure faithful people can be at the heart of local communities Manchester Diocese for years to come.

Legacy giving on average accounts for 60% of UK charitable income, but for our parish churches, the average is much lower at just 7%.

Writing a will and planning your funeral are two simple acts of good stewardship. God entrusted us to use his gifts wisely, for the good of our loved ones, our church family, and the wider world. In thanksgiving, we should also take will-writing seriously – setting our affairs in order and stewarding them wisely.

How to increase legacy giving

In this video, Eleanor Stead, Head of Giving (formerly Deputy National Giving Advisor) for the Church of England, talks through actionable, simple steps your parish can take to increase legacy giving over the next five years.

Play Video

Increasing Legacy Giving

Free online will-writing service

The Diocese of Manchester and The Church of England have partnered with award-winning online will-writing company, Farewill, to offer a free online will-writing service. This normally costs £100 for a single will or £160 for couples.

You can redeem your free online will by clicking on the link below:

Farewill provides useful online guidance on a wide variety of topics which should answer any specific questions you may have, including a how to make a will guide.

Disclaimer: by participating in this will-writing scheme, your details will not be shared with the Church of England. If you use the Church of England will-writing scheme, there is no obligation to leave a gift to a church in your will. Your loved ones should always come first. If you do choose to remember your local or a favourite church, thank you. Every gift, great or small will make a real difference to that church and its mission and ministry in your community for future generations.

For guidance on ensuring that legacy fundraising is carried out in accordance with the Code of Fundraising Practice, please visit the Fundraising Regulator. Contact the National Legacy Officer at giving@churchofengland.org for more information.

If you’d like to find out how legacy giving can enhance our churches, please visit the ‘Building a generous church’ website and watch the short film showing how a church has reordered their building to enhance its welcome, mission, and ministry.

Legacy advice and resources for churches

Why encourage legacy giving at your church?

Each year, around 5,000 people leave a gift in their will to their local church. These gifts help to fund mission and ministry projects, maintain church buildings, and can be an expression of gratitude and thanksgiving towards God. These gifts are life-affirming and are about the life of the individual and the relationship they have with their church.

Many supporters would like to know how they could leave a gift in their will to their parish church, but may not know how or who to speak to. It is important for all churches to make information available, and to inspire members about the difference that wills, no matter how large or small, can make.

Why now?

Legacy donations are one of the most resilient and reliable forms of charitable income. With many people writing and updating their wills as an act of good financial stewardship, legacies are more relevant than ever before.

Any conversations on charitable giving require sensitivity, but there are many resources and printed materials available to assist clergy and laity in doing this. There is an unrecognised level of support for charities and churches, and a desire to support much-loved causes in the community. People want to thank and support these causes and, for some, leaving a legacy is a way to communicate their ongoing support.

What next?

It is recommended that each PCC has its own unique Legacy Policy. This will help ensure your church has the resources needed to support individuals, outlining why legacies are so significant and how people can organise a legacy gift.

Tips, resources and guidance:

• Order a PCC Guide: Encouraging Giving Through Legacies, and other free resources including posters and leaflets here.
• Write and communicate a Legacy Policy for your parish church (an example template can be found on this page).
• Make information available on your church website and A Church Near You page.
• Share a story of how the church has benefitted from a gift in the past. Read an example here.
• Share a story to inspire people to pledge future gifts. Read examples here.
• Visit the Church of England legacy page and www.churchlegacy.org.uk.

Don’t forget to incorporate your vision into your church’s legacy messaging and communicate the impact that gifts in wills can make on your church life and wider church family. 

If your church is fortunate enough to receive a legacy gift, you’ll find this guidance useful.

Create a Legacy page

You can find a written template for use on your website and A Church Near You page at the link below. It has been written so that your church can copy and paste it into your website and A Church Near You page. All you’ll need to do is add the name of your church at various points in the text – look out for these highlighted in red.

Create a Funeral Planning page

You can copy and paste the wording from the template below to create dedicated funeral planning pages on your website and A Church Near You pages. Please make sure to include the hyperlinks to make it easier for people to navigate to the correct resources. 

You can find information about funeral planning here.