Scottish charities are raising more than £90m a year from gifts in wills, as legacy income in Scotland grows at a faster rate than in England and Wales, latest figures have revealed.

Legacy income from charities in Scotland has been growing by an average of 7%, exceeding the 4.6% average growth rate for charities in England and Wales.

Around two thirds (64%) of the 500 Scottish charities to benefit are small and locally based organisations, the figures also reveal.

However, just 50 charities are generating 70% of legacy income.

The results have been published in a report produced by Remember A Charity, Legacy Foresight, the Institute of Legacy Management and Smee & Ford.

“Legacy giving may be less prevalent currently in Scotland, but consumer studies show that Scottish people are even more willing to consider leaving a gift than those south of the border,” said Remember A Charity director Rob Cope.

“So, there’s an even greater opportunity for growth and for the sector to work together to normalise gifts in Wills. And, as the sector builds back from the pandemic stronger and more resilient, that income will be all the more vital.”

Ali MacLeod, head of fundraising at National Trust Scotland said that gifts in wills “give us resilience in times of crisis” and urged charities to “push forward with legacies if we’re going to succeed in having a diversified and sustainable income base.”

Vanessa Rhazali, Age Scotland’s head of fundraising and marketing, added: “There’s a big opportunity for charities to work together to grow legacies in Scotland.

“We need to have more of a culture in Scotland of sharing the wonderful stories of what legacies can achieve. A gift in a Will is not about death, it’s about life – people’s values, their aspirations, the things they want to carry on once they are gone.

“We want supporters to see that this is a very special way for them to help and that it really can make such a difference.”

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