Gifts in Wills

Around 60% of those eligible in the UK do not have a valid Will. This can cause complications for families and loved ones when the time comes. Whatever the size of your estate, an up-to-date Will ensures that the people you love and causes you care about are looked after.

Whether you are writing a Will for the first time or updating your existing one, we recommend you seek legal advice. Using a professional solicitor will make sure everything is actioned in accordance with the law, and ensure your Will is valid.  

As a friend of VSO you are eligible for our Free Will Service.

Yes, VSO is partners with Octopus Legacy, an award winning service and one of the UK’s leading free wills providers. You can write or amend your Will for free.

Free Wills Service 

In the UK, anyone over the age of 18 can write a Will. People of all ages and backgrounds have pledged gifts to VSO in their Will. Many of you choose to support ‘where the need is greatest’.

Those of you who wish to support something in particular often get in touch to discuss this, so that we can fulfil wishes accordingly when the time comes.

There are a variety of types of gifts you can leave in your Will. We advise you explore all options with your solicitor and will provider. The two types we receive most regularly are: 

% Residuary Gift: A gift of a percentage of a person’s estate. Gifts of this type are beneficial as they retain their value over time.  

£ Pecuniary Gift : A gift of a specified amount. It is recommended for pecuniary gifts to be index linked so that their value does not depreciate over time.

A gift can be written into a new Will or added into an existing Will using a codicil.  

If you do choose to leave a gift in your Will to VSO, you will be asked for our:

• Registered charity number: 313757 
• Legal Name: VSO 
• Legal Address: 2 Putney Hill, London, SW15 6AB 

Depending on the size of your estate, you may be eligible for tax benefits if you leave a charitable bequest. We recommend you speak to your solicitor or provider about inheritance tax, as there are tax benefits you may be eligible for.

Your motivation for leaving a gift in your Will to VSO is personal to you. Many people, tell us their shared values with VSO drive them to leave a gift in their Will to us.

People like David Archer, former VSO volunteer and pledger, who shared that in the act of leaving a gift in his Will to VSO he is choosing ‘hope over fear’ for a world that is ‘full of happiness and peaceful for everyone, wherever they happen to be born’.

And people like Chris Staples, former VSO volunteer and pledger, who holds our shared value of equality for all close to his heart  

‘Leaving a gift in your will helps ensure the goods of the world – whether that is knowledge, health or money – are a little bit better distributed. I’m always worried that so many people have so little, and I have so much. This is my way of addressing it, and giving people the opportunities they need.’ 

Gifts in Wills are fundamental to VSO’s existence. In the last financial year alone, gift in will income accounted for over a third of total net unrestricted income.

Lisa Marie David

Gifts in Wills help people like Grace put agroecological theory into practice and lead her local ecotourism site with rigour and pride. Together, her community stands strong in the face of climate change, not just for today, but for generations to come.

Against the backdrop of all that is going on in the world – economically, politically, environmentally, and socially – now more than ever the impact and security a gift in your will provides is essential.

VSO needs a gift in your will to ensure we can:  

• Focus on long-term solutions. 
• Stay strong in the face of adversity.  
• Adapt during times of uncertainty.