How to leave a gift in your will

Your will enables you to direct your money exactly where you wish it to go. Without a will, you have no say in how your estate is divided up and you may find that family, friends or a special cause do not benefit as you would wish.

When you are making your will, your first concern will naturally be for your own family and friends. However, once you have ensured you have properly provided for them, you may also wish to consider using your will to help support Scope, ensuring our work with disabled people has a solid future.

There are a number of ways you could include a gift to Scope in your will. Below are the most common types of gifts and suggested wording for including in your will:

A residuary gift

After providing for friends and family, many of our supporters decide to leave the remainder of their estate, or a percentage of the remainder, to Scope. This is a particularly popular way to leave a gift to charity as the gift (or legacy) increases in line with inflation.

This means that you give Scope some or all of what is left after you have provided for your family and friends.

“I give (enter the word ‘all’ or ‘a_______% share of’) the residue of my estate to Scope (registered charity number 208231) of 6 Market Road, London N7 9PW. I also direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or, duly authorised officer, of Scope shall be a full and sufficient discharge for the said legacy.”

A cash gift

A cash gift is a fixed amount of money. It is important to remember that cash gifts decrease in value over time and therefore may need to be reviewed periodically.

 “I give the sum of £__________ (enter the amount to be given) to Scope (registered charity number 208231) of 6 Market Road, London N7 9PW. I also direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or, duly authorised officer, of Scope for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge for the said legacy.”

A gift in kind

A gift in kind is an item you decide to leave to Scope and could be property, shares, a piece of jewellery, furniture and so on.

 “I give (enter the details of the item to be given) to Scope (registered charity number 208231) of 6 Market Road, London N7 9PW. I also direct that the receipt of the Treasurer, or duly authorised officer, of Scope for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge for the said legacy.”

In the wording of a trust

You can set out that a sum left in a trust fund (when it ends) is given to Scope. You could also set this out in the deed of any trust you make in your lifetime. Please speak to your solicitor about how this can be done.

Thank you

If you are able to include Scope in your will, by whichever means you choose, we can’t thank you enough for your generosity.

Please be aware, the above does not constitute legal advice and should only be considered as guidance. You should always contact a solicitor or legal professional before making or updating your will.