The Legacy Giving Rethink: What 2026 Data Tells Us About Timing

In the third part of 'The Legacy Giving Rethink' series we argued that the younger legacy market was already primed and that most organisations were missing it by focusing on the wrong demographic. New research from the Smee and Ford Legacy Giving Report 2026 confirms that argument, and sharpens it.

Headline figures from the 2026 report: UK legacy income reached £4.4 billion in 2025, growing at 4.3% per annum over the last decade, and is forecast to reach £5 billion by 2029. Charitable estates hit 44,000, the second highest total ever recorded.

However, for anyone building a legacy programme, the more useful takeaway is not the market size, but when legacy decisions are actually being made, and who is making them.

The decision window is earlier than most assume

The 2026 data is direct on this point:

·     The average age at which someone first writes a Will is now around 50.

·     Among Generation X, those currently aged 46 to 61, almost three quarters of those who have made a Will did so before their late 40s.

·     22% of charity supporters aged 40 and over have pledged a gift in their Will, up from 14% in 2010.

·     Among people who have written a Will, Gen X are currently slightly more likely to have included a charitable gift than Baby Boomers who have done the same.

Legacy decisions are not being made in later life. They are being made now, by alumni, parents, and supporters who are still actively engaged with your institution.

The Smee and Ford Legacy Giving Report 2026 puts it plainly:

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‍the gifts received in 2040 will be the product of relationships being built, or failing to be built, right now.

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The gap this creates

Most legacy programmes in educational institutions still concentrate their energy on older alumni, typically those in their late 60s and 70s. That is not wrong. But we would argue that it is incomplete.                

If an alumnus writes their Will at 45 and your institution does not raise legacy giving until they are in their late 60s, you have missed a twenty-year window. Not because another charity deliberately targeted them, but because someone else was simply present at the right moment.

The 2026 report also flags a longer-term risk sitting beneath the growth figures. Fewer people are giving to charity overall, and engagement among younger generations is declining. Because legacy gifts reflect decisions made years before they are realised, the consequences of that disengagement will not show up in income data for a long time.

What this means for fundraising teams

The challenge is not convincing younger alumni and parents to care about legacy giving. The intent is already there. The challenge is meeting that intent at the right moment, through a route that feels credible and straightforward.

In practice this means:

• Legacy conversations belong alongside reunion communications, bursary campaigns, and family milestone moments, not saved for a separate programme that never quite launches.
• Planning-led language may land better with this demographic than heritage or philanthropy framing. Nowadays, "Protecting your family"and "making your wishes clear" resonates before "leaving a lasting legacy" does.
• Reducing Will-writing friction matters. The upcoming electronic Wills reform, which our co-founder Mark Hedley has covered in detail, will directly lower the practical barriers to Will-writing for younger supporters when legislation passes. Institutions already having the conversation will be best placed to benefit.

A simple next step

If you want to start closing the gap without adding significant complexity:

1. Identify one priority demographic aged 40 to 55 within your alumni or parent base.
2. Map two or three life trigger moments in your calendar where a Will-writing conversation lands naturally; reunion years, bursary campaigns, family milestones.
3. Introduce a low-friction, digital Will-writing journey that meets intent with a credible route to action.
4. Track notifications and stewardship opportunities.

 Where adeus fits

adeus works with schools and universities to build legacy programmes that engage supporters across a lifetime, not just at the end of one.

In practice, adeus provides a co-branded Will and Legacy Planning solution designed to reduce friction for giving, with campaign support aligned to your calendar moments and Know Your Donor reporting to help you identify and steward legacy prospects over time.

To find out more, email me at talktome@adeus.life

Contributed by Jonathan Ng, Head of Partnerships at adeus.

As Head of Partnerships at adeus, Jonathan works with schools and other institutions to build and grow legacy giving programmes through a modern, digital-first approach. He leads partner relationships from early conversations through to campaign launch, helping organisations shape the right strategy, messaging, and supporter journey. Outside of work, he is a dad of two, which gives him a personal appreciation for legacy, family, and planning for the future.