Kindness that keeps giving – long after you’re gone
It can take many years to build a relationship with a community, to understand the problems they
face, and to work together to find ingenious solutions. Those solutions involve building trust, establishing partnerships, building capacity in the community, and supporting people to access the resources they need.
Leaving a gift in your Will provides vital long-term income, so we can work with communities long into the future with the confidence that we can see things through.
The work Practical Action does to enable individuals and communities around the world to improve their lives and future prospects and those of their children is both essential and truly inspiring. Such support will be needed for many years hence my decision to remember Practical Action in my Will.
Janice, Practical Action supporter
If you have any questions about leaving a gift to Practical Action, I’d love to hear from you.
Making this kind of gift is a very personal decision, and I’m here to answer any questions you have and to support you through the process.
Any discussion between us will remain completely confidential.
If you decide to include Practical Action in your Will, it would mean a great deal to us – and I would be grateful for the chance to thank you personally.
With warm thanks,
Liz Webb – Senior Legacy Officer
A gift in your Will to Practical Action is a promise of a world that works better for everyone.
It is a promise that together we will help people find solutions to the world’s toughest problems, so people in poverty can thrive, not just survive.
We understand that when you leave a gift to us you are making a special commitment. Here is our promise to you:
My father’s work has continued long after he passed away. By leaving a legacy to Practical Action, yours can too. If you can, please help – you’ll be laying the foundations of a future that works better for everyone.
Nicola Schumacher, daughter of E.F Schumacher
A Will gives you and your loved ones the certainty that your estate will be distributed according to your wishes. It can also avoid entitlement disputes. Including a gift to a qualifying charity can also lead to tax advantages. But as everyone is different you should seek professional advice on the advantages available to you.
It usually costs around £150 for a simple, single Will, or £250 for two mirror Wills (where a couple’s Wills mirror each other in providing for the surviving partner after death) but you can take up our Free Will offer using our voucher code PRACTICALACTION-FREE.
We’d never want to take priority over your family, and we encourage you to make sure your loved ones are provided for first, and know your wishes, before leaving a gift to your chosen charity.
You don’t have to use a solicitor, but as a Will is a legally binding document it needs to comply with existing statutes and common law.
Online Will writing companies can offer a competitively priced alternatives but these are usually best used for simple straightforward Wills.
A solicitor is trained to advise you and ensure compliance so if in doubt seek legal advice.
Remember, if you do choose to do it yourself and your Will is deemed invalid, your assets will be distributed by rules governed by UK law.
Yes. A ‘codicil’ is a legally binding document that is used to make small changes to an existing Will. It is best to instruct a solicitor to prepare and advise upon its contents and then (most importantly) to properly execute the document.
The whole process usually takes around 10-14 days, if using a solicitor, but may be shorter via other methods. You’ll start by spending an hour with a solicitor, explaining your wishes. They will then send you a draft Will in the post to approve. Once approved, you’ll be sent a copy of the final document to be signed with witnesses.
There’s no obligation to tell us, but being aware of your kind intentions helps us communicate with you better. It also gives us an opportunity to thank you for your amazing support. We will keep you up-to-date on the big issues and how our innovative work is helping people to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges.
Every legacy we receive is a special gift and it is often the most heartfelt gift that anyone will make. We recognise and appreciate this and our promise to you highlights the commitment we will make to you and your family.
We promise to use your gift wisely and effectively. Any gift left to us in a Will, which is not subject to any restrictions regarding its use, will be allocated to our work around the world and will make a lasting difference, helping us put ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.
Don’t worry, if you change your mind the easiest thing to do is write a new Will that revokes all previous Wills. You can revoke specific sections, but you’ll need to seek legal advice on your available options before you do.
The good news is that gifts to charity in your Will do not incur inheritance tax. However, there is also an additional advantage – if you leave at least 10% of your taxable estate to charity, the inheritance tax rate on everything else is reduced from 40% to 36%, which will mean other beneficiaries could also receive more.
There are three different types of gift that you can choose to leave:
At Practical Action we welcome all gifts. Each one is unique and supports our work to help vulnerable communities change their lives.
If you are an executor for the estate of someone who has left a gift to Practical Action in their Will, please get in touch with Liz on 01926 634484 or [email protected] who will be able to advise you on what to do next, such as how to make payment.
Take a look at our Annual Report to find out more about what we have achieved in the last year.