Legacy giving — leaving a gift to charity in your will — is the single largest source of voluntary income for UK charities and accounts for roughly a third of all charitable giving in the country. For animal charities in particular it is often the difference between continuing and closing.
WARN is in pre-launch and is not yet a registered UK charity, so we cannot accept legacy pledges today. We are writing this guide because we want supporters who plan to remember us in their wills once registration completes to understand the practical mechanics.
The three types of legacy gift
- Pecuniary legacy. A fixed sum of money. Easy to plan but loses value to inflation over time.
- Specific legacy. A named asset — a property, a vehicle, an item of value.
- Residuary legacy. A percentage of whatever remains in your estate after other gifts, debts and tax. Inflation-proof and the most common form.
The inheritance-tax piece
Gifts to UK-registered charities are exempt from inheritance tax. If you leave 10% or more of your net estate to charity, the rate of inheritance tax on the rest of your estate falls from 40% to 36% — a real and underused benefit.
What you need from the charity
- Registered charity name (legal name, not trading name).
- Registered charity number.
- Registered office address.
- A standard wording the charity itself recommends.
Once WARN's UK charity registration completes, we will publish all four. In the meantime, we cannot honestly recommend our own name in a will, and we will not.
Use a solicitor
DIY wills are a common source of family disputes and a regular cause of intended legacies failing in probate. Use a STEP-qualified solicitor or a Will Aid / Free Wills Month month if cost is a barrier.
What WARN promises
Once we are a registered UK charity, our promise on legacy gifts is the same as our promise on every other gift: full annual accounting, no hidden administration charges, and clear allocation of the funds to the rescue programmes the donor named. A residuary legacy gift to WARN, when we open, will fund frontline rescue work — not corporate overheads.
We need your support to make this happen
World Animal Rescue Network is at the launch stage of this work. We do not yet have rescue numbers to share — and that is exactly why your support matters now. Every donation helps us put trained teams on the ground, secure veterinary supplies and equipment, and reach the first animals before they are lost.
Donate today to fund our first deployments, or sponsor an animal to back a specific species through rehabilitation. You can also join the network as a volunteer, fundraiser, or monthly supporter.
