Give in your Will

By leaving a legacy to CSV you enable us to help many people in the most needy communities in the UK for many years to come.

We need help from people who share CSV’s vision for the future. We know how to tackle the toughest problems in our society, but we can’t do it alone.

We will invest your donation carefully to make communities better places to live. Here are some examples of how your money could help:

• £2,000 could help train 40 teachers to teach the importance of active citizenship to thousands of children
• £5,000 could pay for five RSVP volunteer co-ordinators across London for one year, who in turn will mobilise about 1,200 volunteers to help more than 15,000 people
• £10,000 could help train more than 500 people from deprived areas in a CSV Media Clubhouse giving them multimedia and IT skills now essential in many workplaces
• £10,000 could also help support nearly 700 volunteers for a whole year, changing the lives of more than 10,000 people in their communities.

Any money we receive is invested carefully in supporting our volunteers. We interview potential volunteers to find where they will be most useful, provide accommodation and other essentials where necessary, and stay in touch throughout their placement.

We keep our administrative costs down to below 5% of our turnover, largely thanks to the number of full-time voluntary staff we have.

Different types of legacies explained:

There are four main types of legacy that you can leave to CSV, all of which are very valuable and cost-effective ways of giving.

Residuary
A residuary legacy is the gift of the remainder of your estate (or a percentage of the remainder) after all other gifts have been distributed to your loved ones and all outgoings and legal bills have been paid. This type of legacy is a very simple way to make sure all your loved ones are provided for as well as leaving a much needed gift to support your favourite cause.

Pecuniary
A pecuniary legacy is a gift of a fixed sum of money. Pecuniary legacies tend to decrease in value over time due to rises in inflation and so need to be reviewed regularly. Alternatively they can be index-linked to protect their value. You will need to discuss this with your solicitor.

Specific
A specific legacy means a particular item has been left in your Will such as stocks and shares, property, life insurance policies and jewellery.

Reversionary
A reversionary legacy allows you to leave your estate to a loved one for their enjoyment during their lifetime with the condition that it passes onto another specified beneficiary, such as a charity, upon their death.

Making your will – our step by step guide

1. List your assets
Make a list of all the valuable items you own, for example your house and its contents, any vehicles and leisure items or valuable jewellery or art. Then write down all your financial assets (bank accounts and shares etc) and any debts you may have, like your mortgage for example.

2. Decide what gifts you wish to leave
Note down the names and addresses of everyone you would like to include in your Will, and what you would like to leave them. You may also like to support CSV in your Will.

Ask for our guide to different types of gifts you can leave in your Will. 
Email Helen on hstack@csv.org.uk 
Telephone 020 7643 1340.

3. Appoint two executors
Executors are the people who make sure your final wishes are carried out. One could be a relative or close friend, the other perhaps the family solicitor or bank manager.

4. Go to see your solicitor

Already have a Will?

By making your Will you have already taken the step to ensure that your loved ones are cared for.

By adding a legacy to CSV to your Will, you are also ensuring the support of many of the most needy people – excluded children, isolated and lonely older people, people with disabilities – and their communities, well into the future.

To add a legacy bequest to CSV to your Will, there are a few things you will need to do:

• Decide what sort of gift you would like to leave to CSV
• Get an appointment to see your solicitor
• Tell them you would like to make a codicil, (an addendum to your Will) to include a legacy to CSV

More information is in our free guide, available from Helen on 020 7643 1340 or email: hstack@csv.org.uk

Updating your Will

You might also like to consider making other updates to your Will at the same time. All Wills need regularly updating as ones circumstances change, for example, there may have been additions to your family since you made your original Will, or one of your beneficiaries may have passed away.

Please let us know if you have left us a legacy, to help us plan our future activities.
Contact Helen on hstack@csv.org.uk 
Telephone: 020 7643 1340

Thank you.

Haven’t made your Will yet?

Statistics show that as many as seven out of 10 people never make a Will. Unfortunately this can have serious effects on your family and loved ones, as your estate will be divided according to law. This can be a lengthy procedure, and the legal costs will far exceed those of making a Will.

There are many advantages to making a Will:

• You can ensure that those to whom you want to leave possessions and money will receive it. This can include remembering lifelong friends and making sure that a certain painting gets to your favourite nephew or niece
• You may be able to reduce the amount of inheritance tax that your beneficiaries will have to pay on your estate. Discuss this with your solicitor
• By leaving a legacy to a charity, such as CSV, every penny you donate goes to a good cause
• And making a simple Will can cost as little as £50 and could only take about an hour with your solicitor.

Suggested wording for your Will

If you do not already have a Will, but want to make a gift to CSV, you can use the suggested wording on page four of our free guide and take it to your solicitor. Ask Helen for a copy on 020 7643 1340 or hstack@csv.org.uk.

Thank you