Your Sussex, Your Birds – Leave a Gift in Your Will to Help Them
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| A donation from the SOS paid for the reconstruction of Jupp’s View at RSPB Pulborough Brooks in 2019. © RSPB |
How to Leave a Gift
Making a will
It is always best to have your will drawn up by a solicitor who specialises in estate planning. A will is a legal document and trying to write your own may be a false economy. If not done properly, it may be costly to rectify after your death.
What information do I need?
When including a legacy to a charity, it is important to specify the charity’s registered name, its contact details and charity number. For the Sussex Ornithological Society these are:
- Registered name: Sussex Ornithological Society
- Contact details: treasurer@sos.org.uk
- Registered charity number: 256936
Suggested Wording
There are a number of ways you can make a gift to the SOS.
A residuary gift: leaving all or part of the residue of your estate after all expenses and debts have been settled.
For a residuary gift to the SOS we suggest the following wording:
“I give to Sussex Ornithological Society (registered charity number 256936), treasurer@sos.org.uk a [eg. one quarter, one half, 20%] share of the residue of my estate for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the Honorary Treasurer or other proper officer of the Sussex Ornithological Society for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors and trustees.”
A pecuniary gift: leaving a specific sum of money.
For a pecuniary gift to the SOS we suggest the following wording:
“I give the sum of £[amount] to the Sussex Ornithological Society (registered charity number 256936), treasurer@sos.org.uk for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the Honorary Treasurer or other proper officer of the Sussex Ornithological Society for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors and trustees.”
The SOS prefers that gifts be made for its general charitable purposes as that gives us the ability to apply the gift where it is needed most at the time.
What if I would like my gift to specifically go towards funding publication of future Sussex Bird Reports or the next Avifauna or Bird Atlas?
You can certainly do this. You can use the same wording detailed above but replace the words “for its general charitable purposes” with “and I express the wish that it be applied towards the publication costs of future annual Sussex Bird Reports but if the publication is no longer in print then for its general charitable purposes.” or “and I express the wish that it be applied towards the publication costs of the next SOS Avifauna or Bird Atlas but if either or both of these publications are no longer in print then for its general charitable purposes.”
Click on the box below for answers to other questions you may have.
