It is important to have an up-to-date Will as it is the only way to ensure that your wishes are carried out. Your Will covers everything you leave to your family and friends, as well as gifts to charity if you decide to do so. If you don’t have a Will, it can mean more stress and financial cost to your loved ones. Writing a Will provides peace of mind that the people and causes you care about will be taken care of after you’re gone.

Without the generosity of those who remember Compassion in their Wills, around a quarter of Compassion’s campaigning, lobbying, investigations and work with food companies would not be possible. No matter the size of your gift, it will help us in our fight to end the cruelty of factory farming. 

After you’ve made provision for those closest to you, you might consider leaving a gift in your Will to charity. There are two main types of gifts:

• A residual gift is all, or a percentage of, an estate once all other bequests, costs, etc. have been deducted. For example, a bequest of 10% of a residuary estate valued at £200,000 would provide a gift of £20,000. A residual gift keeps pace with inflation, helping to ensure we can fight even harder for farmed animals. This type of gift can also help reduce the need for frequent updating of your Will.
• A pecuniary gift is a specific amount of money and can also play a big part in changing the lives of farmed animals. The value of pecuniary legacies decreases over time; for example, a generous gift of £2,000 pledged today will be less valuable in future years as the cost-of-living increases.

There are other types of gifts that may suit your financial and family needs better. Your solicitor will be able to advise you on these options.

Your solicitor will be able to advise on the exact wording of your Will, but the following should be included when leaving a gift to Compassion:

For a residual (part of estate) gift: “I give the residue (or percentage or fraction of my residuary estate) to Compassion in World Farming International (Registered Charity No. 1095050; registered company limited by guarantee no. 4590804 (England)) of River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EZ for its charitable purposes.”

For a pecuniary (cash) gift: “I give the sum of £_________ to Compassion in World Farming International (Registered Charity No. 1095050; registered company limited by guarantee no. 4590804 (England)) of River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EZ, for its charitable purposes.”

To help with the Will-writing process, we offer two ways that Compassion supporters can write or update their Will, free of charge, either face-to-face with the National Free Wills Network, and online or over the telephone with Farewill. Find out more about our free Will-writing services.

There is no obligation to let us know that you have left a gift in your Will, but we would greatly appreciate it if you did! We would love to say thank you and keep you up to date with our work. You can either fill in the online form or telephone +44(0)1483 521 953 (Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm) to let us know.

If you’re ready to leave a gift in your Will to Compassion, or want to know more, request a copy of our legacy information pack.