Ask Sarah Anderson from Cancer Research UK your questions about leaving legacy gifts in your Will

What percentage of any legacy would be spent on fund-raising and administration and what percentage on frontline research?

i wouldnt leave any money to cancer research or any other big charity ,as the managers all get good salaries. me i am leaving anything i have left to either celia hammond cat trust or the P.D.S.A. some one who is not given money to by the government .i donate goods to the charity shop of cancer research.thats good enough for me......i know cancer is a big thing .yet they still asking for money for the forth coming cure.....

What is the best wording to use when you don't know how much money you will have to leave to multiple charities?

I have 5 questions
1 where was all the so called help when my husband was dying< His doctor told us there was no research into his cancer as it was rare and not a trendy cancer and there probably never be any research or trial drugs.
2 So who decides what cancers are worth researching?

We couldn’t get any support form big charities like Macmillan or Marie Curie because my husband was terminal so Macmillan didn’t support Marie curie people in our area /postcode.

3 Why is there a lottery on the support and the research?

4 How much of what is made in a cancer shop goes to the actual charity because when I asked in the shop, I was told 17p in the pound. 17p in out of £1 !!!!

5 Why on earth should I consider leaving any money to any cancer trust?

I am not expecting any answers. I have not had them in five years.

I already support Kidney Cancer UK. How is Cancer Research UK different?

I would like to leave something to cancer research but would i be able to say i want it to go to research rather than fundraising? And would my wish be granted?

It worries me greatly the number of stories I have read about the top tier management in large charities being paid ridiculous salaries. If I were choosing to leave money to cancer research I would need to be certain that 'research' is exactly where the vast majority of my legacy would be going, rather than on salaries for fatcats - can you clarify numbers here please?
Also is it really true that every donation counts, no matter how small - or are you really just seeking those who can leave large sums?

How do I have assurance that my bequest will be actioned, so is there any independent audit of donations, and published findings?

Where can I find a 'leaderboard' of charities who give the largest percentages to research/purchasing direct for good causes and less for admin etc

I have left £5000 in my will to Cancer Research, but feel I need to be more specific, as I want it to go to researching into pancreatic cancer, rather than being a general donation, which goes to a cause much closer to home, can this be done ?

I have left a significant donation to a small charity very close to my heart, they do great work, what would happen if there is not enough left from my estate, and how usually would the executors deal with my bequests - after bills are paid, solicitors fees are paid - how are bequests dealt with is there a order of importance, or would they pro-rata my estate to all beneficiaries ? Does this need clarifying in my will ?

What would CRUK prefer, a direct debit weekly, or a lump sum in my will - I would have thought a direct debit can provide more adequate forecasting financially, but lump sums are less easier to predict for long term financial planning.

I wonder whether it is worth leaving what would be a relatively small sum - say a thousand or so - or is it more beneficial to regularly donate to a cancer charity during my lifetime?

Hi. I think it is a great idea in general to leave something to charity in your will but I think I would prefer to give money to something local like the Maggie's centre in my own town. I too would like to give to a uk wide charity but as a few people on this thread have already said, perhaps a lot of my donation would go on admin. Does cancer uk have any local or community based projects that they help?

There are common threads here - how much is spent on "admin" / high salaries and will there be "assertive follow-up". I think a lot of people have every sympathy for research funding but not for high salaries, advertising and leaf-letting and the "can you give a bit more" calling.

Like others I’m concerned about ANY charities spending more on top level staff and new buildings than on the research or the support of those in need. When I think of money raised by a PTA, the whole of which goes to buy things for the school and an account of how much was raised and how the money is spent is published, it makes me wonder how much the school would get if a) there was no accounting and b) we had to pay for those generous members who organise the fund-raising events.
Let’s see public accounting for charities-how much is paid to CEO’s, how much their new office +furnishings cost, exactly how the money is spent in the charity.

I've not made a will, I have family members I who would need any money, I live in rented and live off the significant proceeds from the sale of my home, I would like to leave all of my estate to CRUK, can I make them executors and sole beneficiaries of my cash (family will get my heirlooms and jewellery etc) TIA

Always leave money to charities as a percentage. In my opinion all bequests should be done in percentages. I have heard of charities chasing their inheritance when things were going through slow.

What is the tax position of gifts left to charity - does this increase the inheritance tax that other beneficiaries must pay ?

I would consider leaving a small donation to charity in my will, but would want some idea of the percentage of donations which are spent on research and percentage spent on administration, including the salaries of top management and executives employed.
I would also like to know whether they use animals in research, and how they fundraise.
It would also be important to know what the charity has achieved so far.
All important considerations.

I regularly support charities close to my heart both financially and with my time (including cancer charities). I have decided against leaving a legacy in my will though, anything I leave will stay with family, then it will be their decision on which charities they support.

Is it true that if you leave part of your estate to a charity the inheritance Tax will be reduced or even eliminated? I give to different charities at the moment & also volunteer, but I am horrified how much money is wasted. High salaries and the bad press regarding volunteers recently is really concerning too.

Can I stipulate that no part of my donation is to be used for animal research?

My question echoes that of others. What percentage of charitable donations goes to actual research and not admin/ salaries/ offices etc

I used to work for a large, national charity and we received legacies frequently.
The money went into the melting pot and could be allocated to anything.
If the person had stipulated it be used for a particular project or something they had an interest in, then every endeavour was made to do this but there was no guarantees.
Not really a question but can you make it clear to donators that they should qualify how they would like the money allocated rather than it just go into general funds
Having said that, a charity cannot run on goodwill alone and needs money to pay staff and running costs.