Wills and keaving to charity

The short answer is no, no one person is worth £814,000.
I would rather put money in envelopes and put it through the doors of needy people.

I donate to a couple of small local charities - I gave up giving to large national charities following the publicity surrounding the pay to the top executives.

I know the usual reasoning that you have to pay to get the best people but is David Milliband really worth a salary of $1m (approx £814,000) to head a charity?

Our local hospice closed last year due to lack of funding . The LA withdrew their contributions , they’re all heart and have some of the highest paid executives in the country, so let’s hope they or their family never need a hospice.

This is one of the poorest areas in the country and despite having a few charity shops dotted around and a lottery they just couldn’t keep going. I feel terribly sad about it but no one has a lot to give in this area and the few people with money obviously wanted to hang on to it.

DH and I have put off making wills for so long as they seem too complicated . We really must get around to it , no one knows what might be just around the corner do they?

I would think of a cause dear to you, and look for the charity that seems to support it the best. I agree that it is easier to see what goes on at local charities.
If children and families are a cause you embrace, you might look at Home-Start, which is one of the most effective and efficient charities that I know. It is a national charity that operates through local branches, so you could have a look to see if there is one nearby.
Having said that, some solicitors doing the wills for free, will nominate a charity for donations. As I understand, it is acceptable to say 'no thanks' and that you are donating to something else instead.

Our local hospice is incredibly well funded, suggest doing your research first.

You might like to consider your local hospice perhaps? They only receive 11% of their funding requirements from the NHS, and the rest they have to raise through marathons, shops, selling things on eBay, and of course bequests in wills.

They are small charities, and can't afford to spend huge amounts on advertising, salaries and so on. If ever you have had a relative needing their help, you will know how invaluable they are.

I prefer to give to small, local charities run by people who get petrol money and little else but they care about what they are doing. My local Cat Protection League is one.

Good post Hetty. I’m not leaving anything to charity in my will - I support a variety of causes as I go along - short term, long term, one offs, special appeals, national, international, local - quite eclectic. Charities can change direction over time, others become more relevant to what I want to support - I wouldn’t want to have to change my will every now and then so my charitable giving remains well and truly anchored in the present.

I think when charities advertise on TV they have researched the statistics - so they pretty much know they will gain far more from the adverts than the adverts actually cost. It's the same with highly-paid executives. If they bring in far more than their salary then they are worth paying. I want to leave money to charity but I am looking into the possibility of giving some to local charities before I die for specific causes that I can actually see.

When we did our (mirrored) wills we took advantage of the 'wills for free' month and the fee we would have paid to the solicitor went to our local hospice, which we know is genuinely struggling.
I too have heard that some charities are richer than they let on, but obviously have no proof of this.
However, I do know that a friend of mine made a substantial donation (many years ago now) to a well known children's charity (not Barnardos). To her amazement she received the acknowledgement letter but it stated that they had sufficient funds at that time - they hoped she didn't mind, but they had sent the donation to another children's charity!
She wouldn't have minded had they asked before sending it elsewhere!
Also I question sometimes how larger charities afford the expense of TV advertising? Maybe they get it cheaper?
We deliberately chose a local small charity that we know and love.
As far as the amount was concerned, at the time we donated what the bill would have been for the solicitors, and then left a percentage of our estate to them when we pop off this mortal coil!
I wouldn't be happy if any charity insisted on any specific amount. Our hospice is grateful for any donation.
I honestly can't comment on Barnardos or any other.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

So sorry about the typos , hope you got the message. I read back everything I wrote before pressing send, I don't understand it.