Gifts in wills – frequently asked questions

The life-changing work you’ve already been so generously supporting also relies on gifts in Wills. Your gifts, together with legacy pledges, ensure that we’re able to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and keep transforming lives in his name for years to come. Your support has already made such a difference across the world. Going one step further and leaving a gift in your Will will bring hope to future generations and will enable us to keep fulfilling the call of the Lord.

Your generous gift will support mission work where the need is greatest, unless otherwise specified in your Will. Each day, all around the world, people are transformed by God’s love through your generous support and the witness of local partners. Your gift will touch the lives of countless people in need. People just like Anshu.

Anshu delivered her baby two months early at her home in a remote Nepali village. But a week after the birth, she fell ill and kept fainting. Her husband knew he had to get her to hospital – fast. It took them four hours to make it to the nearest bus stop, with Anshu’s husband carrying her on his back, and their nine-year-old daughter carrying their baby. And then it took another 11 hours on the bus to get to the nearest hospital – which just so happened to be supported by BMS.

When they finally arrived, Anshu’s only words before she fainted were: “Please do not tear off or throw my clothes away. This is my last piece of clothing.” After an examination, doctors determined that she needed an immediate blood transfusion. Staff at the hospital donated their blood and, thankfully, Anshu began to recover.

Not only were the team able to save Anshu’s life, they also offered her and her family free food and free medical cover. Thanks to you, people in desperate need are receiving life-saving medical care in Nepal. A gift in your Will could save the lives of mothers in Nepal, equip pastors to share the Word of God in Peru, and help refugees from Syria find safety and welcome. Wherever your gift is spent, you can be sure it will have a transformative impact on the people it reaches.

Yes. We would always recommend you speak to a qualified professional, such as a solicitor, when making or changing your Will. If you don’t already have a solicitor, then you can try searching on The Law Society’s website to find a local one. Go to www.lawsociety.org.uk if you live in England or Wales, www.lawscot.org.uk if you live in Scotland or www.lawsoc-ni.org if you live in Northern Ireland . If you are looking for a Christian lawyer, you can have a look at www.lawcf.org/lawyer-search

It’s very simple to make or update a Will. You’ll just need our address, our charity number and to let the solicitor know what type of gift you wish to leave (see more about the types of gifts you can leave below).

Our address:
BMS World Mission
PO Box 49
129 Broadway
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 8XA

Registered Charity number: 1174364

There are three types of gifts that you can leave in your Will:

• A share in your estate, called a residuary legacy. This is a gift of all or part of what is left in your estate after taxes, debts and other gifts have been distributed. For example, you could leave 99 per cent of your assets to your family and one per cent to BMS.
• A specific sum, called a pecuniary legacy. This is a gift of a specific sum of money to BMS. Please speak to your solicitor about protecting the value of your gift by directly linking it to the cost of living (index linking).
• a specific item – a gift of specific items such as property.

Because BMS is a charity, a gift in your Will is deductible from your taxable estate. Currently, all gifts to charities are free from inheritance tax. A solicitor can advise you on how to make your Will as tax-efficient as possible and can share more about laws that reduce the rate of inheritance tax for people who leave at least ten per cent of their estate to charity.

We suggest using the following wording when writing a gift to BMS into your Will but please contact a solicitor for advice:

For a gift of a percentage of your estate: 

1.1 I GIVE _% of the residue of my estate to THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY, with registered charity no: 1174364, a company limited by guarantee, registered with Companies House with number 10849689 of PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, for its charitable purposes. I further direct that the receipt of the Honorary Treasurer or other proper officer of BMS World Mission for the time being shall be a full and final sufficient discharge for the said legacy.

1.2 If, at my death, the The Baptist Missionary Society named in clause 1.1 (Original Charity) no longer exists or is being wound up, my Executors/ Trustees must:

(a) if the Original Charity has merged, or is about to merge, with another charity (Recipient Charity) and the merger, when completed, is registered in the official register of mergers maintained by the Charity Commission, pay the Recipient Charity the amount specified in clause 1.1 as being payable to the Original Charity; or

(b) if clause 1.2(a) does not apply, pay the amount specified in clause 1.1 as being payable to the Original Charity to another charity that has objects similar to the Original Charity.

For a gift of a fixed sum of money:

1.1 I give the sum of £_______(_____________________pounds) free of any tax payable in the United Kingdom to THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY with Registered Charity Number 1174364, a company limited by guarantee registered with Companies House with number 10849689 of PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA (‘The Baptist Missionary Society’) for its general charitable purposes.

1.2 If, at my death, the The Baptist Missionary Society named in clause 1.1 (Original Charity) no longer exists or is being wound up, my Executors/ Trustees must:

(a) if the Original Charity has merged, or is about to merge, with another charity (Recipient Charity) and the merger, when completed, is registered in the official register of mergers maintained by the Charity Commission, pay the Recipient Charity the amount specified in clause 1.1 as being payable to the Original Charity; or

(b) if clause 1.2(a) does not apply, pay the amount specified in clause 1.1 as being payable to the Original Charity to another charity that has objects similar to the Original Charity.

1.3 My Executors/Trustees may obtain a receipt from the treasurer, or other apparently appropriate officer, of The Baptist Missionary Society or the alternative charity as provided above, to which the payment is made, and they will then have no further duties relating to the payment.

Notes

Write the amount in numbers then in words in the brackets, for clarity. Ask your solicitor to choose if the clause should state ‘Executors’ or ‘Trustees’ as appropriate for the rest of the Will.

For a gift of a specific item:

1.1 I give my [ITEM] [or whatever car/property/item I may own at the date of my death] free of any tax payable in the United Kingdom to THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY with Registered Charity Number 1174364, a company limited by guarantee registered with Companies House with number 10849689 of PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA (‘The Baptist Missionary Society’) for its general charitable purposes.

1.2 If, at my death, The Baptist Missionary Society named in clause 1.1 (Original Charity) no longer exists or is being wound up, my Executors/Trustees must:

(a) if the Original Charity has merged, or is about to merge, with another charity (Recipient Charity) and the merger, when completed, is registered in the official register of mergers maintained by the Charity Commission, transfer to the Recipient Charity the item specified in clause 1.1 as being due to the Original Charity; or (b) if clause 1.2(a) does not apply, transfer the item specified in clause 1.1 as being due to the Original Charity to another charity that has objects similar to the Original Charity.

1.3 My Executors/Trustees may obtain a receipt from the treasurer, or other apparently appropriate officer, of The Baptist Missionary Society or the alternative charity as provided above, to which the payment is made, and they will then have no further duties relating to the payment.

1.4 My Executors/Trustees must pay from my Estate the costs of packing, transporting and insuring the item[s] included in the gift in this clause [ ] until the ultimate recipient is in possession of [it OR them].

Notes

Be as clear as possible when describing the item. Ask your solicitor to choose if the clause should state ‘Executors’ or ‘Trustees’ as appropriate for the rest of the Will.

Deciding to leave a gift in your Will is an entirely private decision and you don’t need to let BMS know. However, we would love to know your decision so that we can thank you properly! We would also like to keep you up-to-date with and inspired by the work you have chosen to support. Do let us know if you would like to change your communication preferences at any time by emailing supporterservices@bmsworldmission.org, or by calling 01235 517638.

Firstly, we appreciate that it can be an exhausting and emotionally demanding role, so please do reach out if you need any help. Please email our Legacy Officer Lucy on legacies@bmsworldmission.org or call 01235 517615.

We would encourage you to first inform us of the death and send us a copy of the Will. This will enable us to ensure that we fully receive what we have been gifted.

If we have been left a share of an estate, we would be grateful if we could also receive the following:

• A copy of the estate accounts (schedule of assets and liabilities)
• A tax deduction certificate (form R185) (if applicable)

This will ensure that we administer all legacy gifts in accordance with the guidelines set down by the Charity Commission.

Legacies can be paid by cheque or bank transfer.

If you would like to make a bank transfer, please contact our Legacy Officer, Lucy on legacies@bmsworldmission.org beforehand or call 01235 517615. She can then give you a reference number to use.

Cheques should be made payable to ‘BMS World Mission’ and sent with a covering letter to: BMS World Mission, PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA.