Leave a gift in your will

Why leave a gift?

We make sure that every young person who is struggling can access vital support and we campaign for a future where every child can grow up safe, happy, and hopeful.

By giving a gift in your will, you can make this future a reality, leaving a legacy of hope.

Every year, gifts in wills help us to support 1 in 6 of the young people we work with. That’s an incredible impact – thousands of children who are able to transform their lives and look forward to a brighter future.

Read our free will guide now to find out more or order a copy by post.

How to leave us a gift in your will

Gifts in wills, no matter their size, are fundamental to our work with young people, allowing us to be here when we’re needed most. After taking care of your loved ones, you could help young people hold onto hope by leaving us a gift in your will.

Order our wills guide by post or download the digital wills guide to find out more. It includes a handy checklist, suggested wording, and clear explanations of key terms. Or you can call our support care team on 0300 303 7000.

Making a will is the only way to make sure your wishes are known and respected. It also makes it easier for your loved ones to organise your affairs after you’re gone.

Before making or updating your will, it’s a good idea to know the value of your assets, or what you own, and the type of gift you’d like to leave. Some people leave a fixed amount, known as a pecuniary gift, while others leave a percentage of their remaining estate after loved ones are taken care of, known as a residuary gift. There is also a specific gift, which is a particular item you specify in your will like a painting, piece of jewellery, or furniture.

To help you, our digital free will guide contains a simple checklist of things to consider.

Our free will service

We’ve partnered with specialists to offer free will writing services online or by phone. If you live in England or Wales, and want to make a simple will, you can get started online here with Farewill, or you can call Farewill on 020 8050 2686 - please make sure to say you were referred by The Children's Society while you're on the phone.

Visit a solicitor

Our partner, the National Free Wills Network , can put you in touch with a solicitor that will make or update a simple will for free.

Email giftsinwills@childrenssociety.org.uk to be sent a list of participating solicitors in your area.

How your gift can help

57,652

children and young people were supported through our services and events in 2024/25.

97%

of children surveyed reported that they were happy with the support they received.

77,307

supporters took campaign actions with us to call for change for young people.

Frequently Asked Questions

Gifts in wills support all areas of our work and will make a lasting impact for young people. Though we can’t guarantee a gift will be used for a specific project, we can promise that it will be used where the need is greatest and will make a lasting impact for young people struggling with their mental health, living in poverty, and in danger from exploitation and abuse.

The main types of gifts you can leave in your will are:

Residuary: This is a share or percentage of your estate. It is what is left of your money and property after all bills, taxes, debts, and other gifts have been made. With a residuary gift, you can take care of loved ones first and leave all or part of what is left over to The Children’s Society or another charity of your choice. For example, some people choose to leave 99% to loved ones and 1% to a cause they care about.

Pecuniary: This is a gift of a fixed sum of money of whatever value you choose. You can make sure the gift holds its value by specifying that it be linked to inflation. This means it won’t decrease over time.

Specific: This is a gift of a particular item in your will, like a piece of jewellery, furniture, or a painting.

If you would like to leave a gift to us in your will, it is helpful to know what words to use. we’ve included an example below that can be given to your solicitor:

I leave the sum of [amount in words] or [percentage] share of my estate to The Children’s Society, Whitecross Studios, 50 Banner Street, London EC1Y 8ST, registered charity number 221124, for its general charitable purposes absolutely.

To make or update a will, you’ll need a registered solicitor to help you. You may already have a solicitor that you’ve used before or one that has been recommended to you. If not, the Law Society website can help, or you can call them on 020 7320 5650.

We can help you make your will for free. We are part of the National Free Wills network, a national network of local solicitors offering free Will writing services to supporters of UK charities. Email our Gifts in wills team, giftsinwills@childrenssociety.org.uk to be sent a list of solicitors near to you.

You can also make a will online or over the phone, at a time and pace that suits you, with support from our specialist partner, Farewill.

There is no obligation to leave a gift in your will to us if you use our free will services, though we hope you do consider it as it will help us to be there for young people for years to come.

I’ve left The Children’s Society a gift in my will. Do I need to tell you?

We understand that some people would rather not say if they have left us a gift in their will, so you do not need to tell us if you have.

If you would like to tell us, we would welcome the opportunity to thank you and show the impact you are making for children and young people across the country. You can email our Gifts in Wills team at giftsinwills@childrenssociety.org.uk or call us on 0300 3 0 3 7000.

We know that people’s circumstances and priorities change. If you change your mind about leaving a gift in your will, then you are free to do so.

A solicitor can help you add a form called a codicil to your existing will with details of what has been changed. Always ask your solicitor to help you make changes to an existing will so that they are legally valid.

I don’t think I will have much left to leave, can I still include you in my will?

Yes, you can. All gifts in wills are important to us, no matter their size. By leaving a gift in your will – and telling us you have done so – we can plan ahead and know we can help young people for years to come.

We promise to treat your executors and loved ones with respect, kindness and sensitivity always and it can be comforting for them to know any gift will be used to support young people across the country.

Our Gifts in Wills team can help with all stages of the process. Let your executors know they can contact them on giftsinwills@childrenssociety.org.uk or 0300 303 7000.

This Government site outlines key processes for executors which may be helpful.

I’d always looked after children I’d always looked after children

– Rosemary

Rosemary has been a supporter of The Children’s Society since 1965, after training as a nursery nurse with them at Sunnyside Nursery, Box, Wiltshire.

The nursery was opened in 1930 and housed children aged six weeks to four and a half years. At the age of 16, Rosemary commenced her nursery nurse training there, after seeing the opportunity advertised through her local church.

“I’d always looked after children because mum was ill a lot, so I always had to care for the ones at home. I had lots of experience of my own with small children”

Rosemary remained at Sunnyside for a couple of years before completing her training at another The Children’s Society nursery – East Court Nursery, Ramsgate, finally leaving in 1968. From there, she went on to be a nanny and later trained as a midwife.

Rosemary’s support for The Children’s Society continued, when she joined the The Children’s Society church committee in Swindon. She recalls the committee meeting regularly to plan events and count donations from the local house box network.

Rosemary currently resides in Wales with her husband. Upon making her will in 2012, she didn’t hesitate to include The Children’s Society. She recalls it being an easy decision, as “I built my life on [The Children’s Society]. I am very grateful for the time I spent with you.”