Younger Belgians more open to legacy giving, study shows

Nearly two in five (38%) of Belgium’s Generation Z are open to leaving a donation to a charity in their will, finds a new report.

Among Generation Y the figure is similar at 31%, while it is lower for Baby Boomers (11%) and Generation X (20%), says the latest Legatenbarometer study, which was carried out by HOGENT on behalf of the national fundraising campaign Testament.be. It includes a 2,600-person study on attitudes to legacies.

While some of those said they were not sure whether they would consider leaving a legacy, 66% of Gen X and 75% of Boomers answered a definite ‘no’ to this question.

Elsie Laes, an adviser on legal matters around legacies at the university KU Leuven, comments: “For the younger generations, a will is still far from their minds. But nonetheless; what we learn young, we know forever. Those who support good causes from a young age may be more likely to consider making a bequest when they are older.”

Ruth De Bruycker, a legacy adviser at Greenpeace Belgium, which received €1.6m through legacies in 2023, notes: “The fact that the younger generations, Y and Z, are increasingly interested in making legacies to good causes is a promising sign of a responsible, conscious and involved generation. It is very encouraging to know that there is a future in this field.”

The Legatenbarometer also revealed that, for the second year in a row, there has been a slight decline in both overall legacy income, and in the number of legacies received by Belgian charities – a total of €200.7m was received by 174 causes, with an average single gift value of €135,000.

The three charities receiving the most from legacies in 2023 was the same as in 2022, with each of these charities growing its income by around a fifth. They were:

• Stichting tegen Kanker (Foundation Against Cancer): €31.m (€25.5m in 2022)
• Kom op tegen Kanker (Stand up to Cancer): €23.2m (€19.1 million in 2022)
• Artsen Zonder Grenzen (Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders): €18.4m (€15.5 in 2022)

Health organisations received 35% of all legacy income in Belgium during the year, making it the most popular sector for these gifts.

However, while the average health charity legacy gift was €406,000, two sectors saw significantly higher average gift values: €2.2m for sports and leisure, and €974,000 for environment and animal welfare.

Picture by Florian on Pixabay