leave your legacy
Support generations to come by leaving a gift in your will
Leave a gift in your will
Remembering Karuna in your will ensures that the communities we work with will continue to get support long into the future. Called a legacy, this gift will help us to continue our mission to end discrimination, poverty and inequality in India and Nepal.
Thank you for considering a legacy to Karuna. We are incredibly grateful for any kind of legacy gift that is left to us in a will and will always work to ensure that your intentions are properly respected and carried out.
We know that thinking about a will or making one is something many of us avoid – fortunately, the process is straightforward, and we’ve provided some tips to get you started if it’s something you’d like to do.
Why should I write a will?
The main purpose of a will is to make sure our loved ones are taken care of by arranging your assets accordingly and ensuring that any outstanding debts are paid. Having a will might minimise inheritance tax, and also ensures that your family can deal with your affairs in the way you would like as easily as possible.
How do I write a will?
- The best overview to getting started is on the Government’s website – it has all the information you need: from what you should put in your will, how to make sure it’s legal, how to store it and how to make changes to it later.
- The next step is to get the help of a solicitor or will writer. A legal professional will make sure that everything is covered for you in a way that suits you. To find a solicitor near you, visit The Law Society and for Professional Will Writers, visit The Institute of Professional Writers.
- You can also write your own will independently, and there are several will-writing starter packs available online that can guide you to do this. However, we would still recommend getting legal advice as there may be important steps or details that you want a professional to check.
What type of gift can I leave to Karuna?
While most people leave a sum of money or a specific donation amount in their will, this is not the only kind of gift you can leave in your will.
- A fixed sum or donation amount. Known as a pecuniary legacy, this means you name a specific amount that you would like Karuna to receive. You may wish to specify the area, for example Education, that you would like it to be used for. You may even know the project, such as Nishtha’s work with women and girls in West Bengal. Or you may simply prefer to trust us to make the best decision regarding the use of your gift.
- A proportion of your remaining estate. This is called a residual legacy. Once the primary named individuals in your will receive what you have left them, you can specify a percentage of what remains to go to Karuna. Sometimes this is the easier choice if you are planning on leaving a legacy to more than one charity.
- A named item. This can be any piece of property you own, such as a house, land or even jewellery.
Include our full name, charity number and address
You will also want to include our full name, charity number and address in order to make it easier for your solicitor or loved ones to identify us:
The Karuna Trust, 72 Holloway Road, N7 8JG
Registered Charity No.327461
Thank you again for considering us. Please get in touch if you have any other questions.
40 Years
40 years of fighting discrimination
81,000
You help us to reach an average of 81,000 people each year
76 Projects
Together we have supported 76 projects
how your gift can help
Betty's Legacy
“After Betty’s death in 2018, I decided to use a bit of her legacy to support girls in the Nishtha project. 200 girls will continue into further education, helping them to become leaders in the future. I am so proud to be able to make this contribution!
As a retired teacher, I am delighted to be in a position to support girls staying on into Higher education. I am doing this in my mother Betty’s memory.
In 1938, Betty was the only one of her family to go to Grammar school. In her family, staying on at school meant completing the school certificate at age 16, even though my mother would have loved to carry on in education, perhaps to train as a nurse.“
– Rachel Robinson
The NISHTA project
The gift of a new life can be given in many different ways. For some of the children with disabilities in rural West Bengal, it came in the form of a legacy – a gift in a will. With this, our partner NISHTHA was able to set up a centre, called Bhalbosa, for these children and their parents.
The staff at NISHTHA planted a tree in memory of the Karuna supporter whose legacy is changing lives in the local villages. Likewise, the gift you leave behind will live on: its benefits will continue to grow as new generations of excluded people are given an opportunity to gain dignified ways of living and to support themselves.
