With no government funding, everything we do as a charity to support kidney patients is a result of the generosity of our supporters.
Gifts in Wills fund 30% of our services, from specialist counselling to our support line and grants that pay for essentials like food or heating for those who are struggling with the increased cost of living.
Transform the lives of people living with kidney disease by including a gift to Kidney Care UK in your Will.
Write your Will today, from the comfort of your home
Writing a Will provides you with peace of mind that your loved ones, and the causes that matter to you, are taken care of once you have died.
We have partnered with the largest Will writing service in the UK, Farewill, to support you for free, either online or over the phone. Every Will is checked by experts to make sure your wishes are clear.
Enter the code kidneycare-free at the checkout to make your Will for free.
Using our free will writing service does not mean you have to leave a gift to Kidney Care UK. However, we hope you might consider it.
A gift of even 1% of your estate will make a difference to the care we can provide to kidney patients and their families.
I've carried an organ donation card for many years and when it came to making my first Will, I decided to support Kidney Care UK as one of my benefitting charities. With your association being the leading kidney patient support charity in the UK, and for all the different types of support you offer, I have continued to keep your charity in my Will despite having had to update it a few times over the years. It is something that is very simple to do and I want my estate to benefit causes that are worthy or important to me.Susan, Kidney Care UK supporter
Gifts in Wills: What you need to know
Whether you’re writing your first Will or updating an existing Will, leaving a gift to charity is simple.
An up-to-date Will ensures your wishes will be clearly understood and acted on.
Our promise to you
- Your loved ones come first. We respect this and will never try to change it.
- We’ll answer your questions honestly and quickly.
- We recognise that this decision is yours and yours alone and will never put you under pressure.
- We’ll use your gift efficiently and effectively.
- We respect your right to privacy; you do not have to tell us your decision.
Considerations when writing your Will
It’s a good idea to consider the following:
- What you will leave. Make a rough list of the main things you own and how much you estimate they are worth. Include things like property, shares, endowments, life insurance policies and savings.
- Who you would like to include. After you have looked after your loved ones, we hope you will consider leaving a gift to Kidney Care UK.
- What kinds of gifts you would like to leave to the people and charities you care about. You can choose to leave specific gifts such as items, a defined amount of money (pecuniary), and/or select a proportion of your estate (residuary).
- Who your executor(s) will be. These are the people who will administer your Will when you are gone.
Gifts in Wills: Frequently Asked Questions
No. Anyone can leave a gift in their Will, no matter the size of their estate. Whatever the size of your gift, you can be sure we will use it to support those affected by kidney disease.
Including a gift to Kidney Care UK in your Will costs nothing now and has no effect on how much money you have to provide for old age. If you arrange your gift as a residuary gift, it will only be paid after all the other gifts left to your loved ones have been made.
Pecuniary gifts are specific sums of money. If you would like a gift of money to retain its value over the years, it is a sensible idea to ask your solicitor to index-link it.
Residuary gifts are made from whatever is left over once gifts of money and specific items have been distributed. You can gift the whole of the residue to a person or a charity, or a split it between several beneficiaries.
Specific gifts are things, such as a book, a house or a watch.
Your solicitor will be able to explain this in more detail, but it is a good idea to include both our trading name (Kidney Care UK) and our legal name (British Kidney Patient Association) and our Registered Charity numbers and our address. We have provided a sample sentence including all of this below.
…. to the Kidney Care UK (formally the British Kidney Patient Association, a charity registered in England and Wales (270288) and Scotland (SC048198)) of 3-4 The Windmills, St Mary’s Close, Alton, GU34 1EF.
We promise to use your gift efficiently and effectively, with 85p of every £1 used to directly support kidney patients and their families.
Around half of our services each year are paid for by gifts in Wills, helping to fund our counselling service, our hardship grants and our local patient support advocates.
Your Will is a reflection of what matters to you, your values and your beliefs. Your loved ones come first and we would never seek to change that.
Leaving a gift to charity in your Will doesn’t stop you recognising the importance of your loved ones, in fact many families are proud of the values that prompted a charitable gift in the first place.
We respect your right to privacy, so of course you don’t have to tell us what you decide. But if you would like to tell us, we would love to say thank you, and keep you informed and inspired by our work.
This decision is yours and yours alone. We understand that circumstances change and we respect your right to privacy.
These are the people who will administer your Will when you are gone. They will let the beneficiaries know about their gifts and settle any outstanding expenses.
You can select a family member, a friend, or you can use a professional such as a lawyer or financial advisor. You can also nominate someone who is benefitting from your Will.
You should choose a person or combination of people you trust, and who would be capable and willing to take on this responsibility.
It is usually possible to make a change or addition to an existing Will using a codicil form. You should seek legal advice before doing this to ensure that your wishes do not inadvertently conflict with the instructions contained in your existing Will.
Alternatively, if you would like to make a Will online or rewrite your Will, we have a step-by-step process you can follow with FareWill online (use voucher code: kidneycare-free).
For executors and solicitors administrating a Will
If you are an executor or solicitor administrating a Will that includes a gift to Kidney Care UK please let us know by:
- Email to [email protected]
- Calling 01420 541 424
- Writing to Kidney Care UK, 3-4 The Windmills, St. Mary’s Close, Alton, GU34 1EF