The endowment is no longer a distant idea summoned in late life, nor a will written as one approaches the arrangement of what follows absence: a new generation has begun to view extended giving as part of a larger question: what deserves to remain of us? And how can money, when managed consciously, transform into a lasting, meaningful benefit?

This article is based on a post published on the Charity Digital platform regarding the relationship of Millennials and Generation X with giving through wills, rephrased to fit the charitable and endowment discussion, opening a close angle on the reality of organizations searching for the trust of the new generation: how do we address individuals who do not just want to hear promises, but rather want to see the impact, understand the process, and be assured that what they leave behind will reach people clearly and with dignity?

From the will to the meaning of impact

In recent years, striking indicators have appeared of a change in the younger generations' relationship with the notion of wills and extended giving, as Millennials and Generation X have begun to think about the future in a more organized manner, not solely from the perspective of family protection, but from the angle of the meaning that can extend beyond personal life.

The pandemic has given this question a more urgent presence: many, including age groups that were not previously considering making a will, found themselves facing the fragility of life, and confronted with a question fraught with anxiety and responsibility: what will happen to the family if the worst were to occur? And what values that we believe in can remain once our ability to act directly ends?

Recent research indicates that age groups spanning Millennials, aged 26 to 41, and Generation X, aged 42 to 57, are becoming more willing to consider leaving charitable gifts in their wills, and this shift comes amid a broader expected growth in giving through wills post-pandemic.

The Legacy Foresight Foundation estimates that the annual income generated from this type of giving could reach £4.2 billion over the next four years, addressing the significant accumulation of wills left by the health crisis.

Therefore, the question for charitable organizations is no longer: does the new generation care about extended giving? The deeper question is: how can we address them in a language they understand, with values they trust, and then with impacts they feel are a true extension of what they wish to leave behind?

The new generations and extended giving

Research conducted by the creative agency WPNC reveals that nearly half of the Millennials and Generation X, at a rate of 44%, have considered donating to a charity through their will, based on a survey of 500 people from these two age groups.

Interestingly, most individuals aged between 26 and 57 have not yet written their wills, which gives charities ample space to build an early relationship with these generations before they finalize their decisions regarding money, family, and the impact they wish to leave.

In Generation X, 70% have not written their wills yet, while the percentage rises to 87% among Millennials, according to research findings. This means that charitable work is not faced with an audience that has made its choices, but rather with an audience that is still in the stage of thinking and making decisions.

The opportunity expands further when we know that only 9% of Generation X and just 3% of Millennials have already chosen the charitable organization they wish to leave a gift to in their wills: this indicates that the space for influence remains significant, and trust has not yet been granted to a specific entity.

Here arises the tougher question: can charitable organizations reach these groups? WPNC results indicate that performance is still below what is possible, as about a third of Millennials and Generation X reported that they have never seen any advertisement or communication message regarding giving through wills.

Gail Coxon, the Marketing and Legacy Giving Director at WPNC, notes that the likely reason, especially with Millennials, is that this group is not specifically targeted by extended giving marketing campaigns. Hence, charitable organizations need different ways to engage this audience—not as if they are distant from the idea, but rather as an audience with whom the conversation has not yet opened.

Free will writing service

Research results show that providing a free will writing service may be one of the most effective approaches to reaching younger generations on the topic of extended giving, as more than a third of Millennials expressed interest in hearing an offer of this kind from a charity, while about a quarter of Generation X showed similar interest.

Among those who have already written their wills, 36% said they would have used a free will writing service provided by a charity had they known it existed. This result reveals that the issue does not always lie in the lack of willingness, but rather in the absence of a suitable offer, inadequate visibility, or communication in a language that resonates with the audience at the right moment.

WPNC indicates that several participants clarified, when asked in more detail, that they would be willing to leave a charitable gift in their wills in exchange for reliable guidance in writing their will.

Gail Coxon comments that the marketing of legacy giving has remained, in many charitable organizations, directed towards the elderly; as they are more likely to write their wills and are closer to thinking about the fate of their assets after death.

However, the post-pandemic period has revealed a new shift, as younger generations have increased their awareness of future planning and the idea of writing a will in particular. Coxon considers this shift a great opportunity for charities to present their case and build an early relationship with Millennials and Generation X before their final choices solidify.

In the charitable and endowment context, this idea opens an important door to thinking, as discussions about wills or endowments are no longer a matter for late life, with the potential to become part of a culture of early impact planning; where individuals think about their money, the meaning they want to leave behind, and the path that makes that meaning beneficial, organized, and sustainable.

Moving the conversation to the digital space

The Remember A Charity initiative, a charitable alliance dedicated to promoting giving through wills, recommends that charities move this discussion to the digital space, to open a more comfortable and transparent dialogue on a topic still viewed in many environments as sensitive, deferred, or uncomfortable.

Social media provides organizations the opportunity to discuss extended giving with an audience that already knows them and values their message; thus, the initiative encourages greater use of video clips, not as a transient promotional tool, but rather as a means to tell stories, explain impacts, and connect the idea to the heart.

This approach is especially important with younger generations, as they are digital-savvy and engage with major issues through imagery, story, and human experience. The more an organization can convey discussions about wills or endowments from dry legal language to a vibrant impact story, the closer it gets to building an emotional and cognitive relationship with this audience.

Proof of impact

It is not enough for an organization to ask the audience to leave an extended impact; rather, it must first demonstrate that its current impact deserves to be extended, and thus websites and social media channels become crucial platforms to showcase charity work results in clear language, understandable numbers, and compelling human stories.

Research from the United States indicates that over one-fifth of Millennial donors wish to see impact reports before donating, while more than a quarter of them seek this information on charitable organizations' social media accounts. These figures reveal that the new generation is not satisfied with general trust, but its desire has evolved to uncover what has truly changed, where resources have gone, and how charitable intent has turned into tangible results.

In this sense, impact reports become more than just annual documents; they represent a language of trust and an implicit message to potential donors: this is what we do today, and this is what can continue tomorrow if you choose to make your giving extended.

Case Study: Guide Dogs Organization

One of the notable models in this field is the Guide Dogs organization, which has integrated two important paths: providing a free will writing service and showcasing clear evidence of its impact online.

The organization offers its supporters a free service whether they are writing a will from scratch or wish to amend an existing will, and importantly, it provides this service in multiple ways to suit different generations; those who prefer face-to-face meetings can benefit from a lawyer, while those who prefer digital solutions can accomplish this online.

On the impact side, the organization presents concise and easy-to-understand information about how it spends its funds.

For example, it explains that 54 pence of every pound it spends goes towards providing guide dogs and adult services for visually impaired individuals, it also effectively uses video clips in marketing for donations through wills and showcases inspiring stories of individuals whose lives have changed thanks to its services through its website.

This experience reveals a very important lesson for charitable and endowment organizations: the new generation does not want to hear about goodness as general promises; it wants to see the path of money to impact, and feel that its will or endowment will not go to an unknown fund, but to a story that can be imagined, a result that can be trusted, and an impact that can be confidently expected to extend.

Endowment as a meaningful memory for the future

The concept of endowment has moved away from being associated with the end of life, and into a moment of awareness where an individual begins to ask a deeper question: what impact deserves to continue after me? Here, giving transcends its direct financial meaning and transforms into a civilisational choice between what is consumed and ends, and what is preserved, grows, and returns benefit to people.

New generations are not attracted to general charitable discourse as much as they are attracted to clarity, transparency, proof, and sincere storytelling; they are generations that want to know where the giving goes, who benefits from it, and how it transitions from noble intent to observable and measurable impact. Thus, charitable and endowment organizations that earn this generation's trust are the most capable of explaining their impact, simplifying their tools, and building a long-term relationship with an audience that thinks about goodness with a new mindset and different sensitivity.

In this sense, endowment is not merely a fixed asset, but a meaningful memory for the future, and a will is not a deferred action, but an early decision to retain a share of goodness when one's ability to act ceases. The more institutions succeed in translating this meaning into a reliable and clear experience, the more extended giving becomes a part of the culture of life, not just an arrangement for what comes after.

Note: This article has been published translated and adapted from the Charity Digital platform, with editorial rephrasing suitable for the context of the charitable and endowment sector, and this translation is not exclusive.