Charity group asks Kildare people ‘what will your legacy be?’ following survey

Charity group My Legacy is calling on people in County Kildare to include a gift to a good cause in their Will,

The call comes after a new survey found over a third of Irish people would leave 'a little something extra' to charity if tax breaks were available to beneficiaries.

Published in advance of International Legacy Giving Day on September 13, the poll was carried out by Red C on behalf of My Legacy.

It reports that only 27 per cent of over 18s in Ireland have made a Will, with only 14 per cent of those saying they’ve included a charitable gift from their estate.

However, 35 per cent of respondents said they would consider a bequest to charity if it meant there was a tax break available.

Elaborating further on the report and My Legacy's appeal, Niall O'Sullivan, the Chairperson of the charity, said: "The report shows a strong public interest to know and understand more about both the process of making a Will, and including a gift to charity.

"My Legacy represents over 90 Irish charities, including Barretstown, the Jack & Jill Foundation and Trocaire, all of which have a base in Kildare, and public support is crucial to their services.

"We know that Ireland is one of the most generous nations in Europe and the report states that 40 per cent of people regularly support a charity."

My Legacy Chairperson Niall O'Sullivan. Photograph supplied.

Mr O'Sullivan continued: "However, that figure jars significantly with the current low uptake of legacy giving, especially compared with the UK, where pro rata, people leave three times as much in their Wills to charities.

"This demonstrates the huge potential to increase legacy giving in Ireland."

He concluded: "In our pre-Budget 2025 submission, My Legacy is calling on the Government to incentivise and encourage legacy giving."

FURTHER FINDINGS

The nationally representative survey of 1,007 adults, which was carried out online between August 6 and August 11 last, also found that health-related charities benefit the most from the Irish public’s generosity, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they regularly support organisations like the Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society.

Children’s charities are next, with just over half (56 per cent) donating to this sector, while a similar number (51 per cent) donates to homeless groups.

The survey also shows Ireland remains a nation of pet lovers, with 45 per cent helping animal charities with cash donations, while 44 per cent say they prefer to give to humanitarian organisations.

Red C also report that the main reason that 39 per cent of respondents said they would include a gift for charity would be to support the work of an organisation close to their heart, while 27 per cent said it would be to honour the memory of a loved one — with the same figure saying they would want to give something back to their community.

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MY LEGACY'S APPEAL

As part of My Legacy Month, My Legacy is encouraging people to make a Will.

The group says that there are three simple steps involved:

• Make an appointment with a solicitor to discuss your wishes and decisions for the future.
• Look after loved ones: a Will provides for those close to you, assigns guardians, protects assets, and can help reduce inheritance tax.
• Consider a legacy gift to charity: if you have a cause close to your heart, include a gift to that charity in your Will. A gift may be big or small and is tax free to the charity.

My Legacy Month, the charity’s annual awareness campaign, runs throughout the month of September.

For more information about Will-making and legacy giving, visit www.mylegacy.ie.

Maria Dunphy and her grandson Liam, pictured to mark My Legacy Month, which was launched at the beginning of September to encourage more people to leave a donation to charity in their Wills. Photograph by Marc O'Sullivan.