As hospices look to secure sustainable funding for the future, legacy giving continues to play an increasingly important role. In this article, Ashley Rowthorn, Executive Director at Legacy Futures, reflects on the findings of the Legacy Giving Report 2026 and explores why the relationships hospices build with patients, families and communities are central to inspiring future gifts in wills.
Hospices understand better than most organisations that care does not end with a single interaction.
The relationships built with patients, families and communities often continue long after a person’s death. Through bereavement support, remembrance events and ongoing engagement, hospices remain part of people’s lives during some of their most important moments.
These enduring connections can also shape how people choose to support hospice care in the future. One of the most significant ways this happens is through legacy giving.
More than a financial gift
While gifts in wills are often discussed in financial terms, their origins are usually far more personal. They are frequently rooted in gratitude, trust and a desire to ensure that others can benefit from the same care and compassion experienced by a loved one.
The Legacy Giving Report 2026 highlights just how important this form of giving has become across the UK charity sector. Legacy income reached an estimated £4.4 billion in 2025 and is forecast to rise to £5 billion by 2029. Health charities continue to receive the largest share of legacy income, accounting for 34% of the total.
For hospices, these figures are encouraging. Yet the report’s most important message is not merely about income growth, it is about relationships.
As the report notes, legacy gifts received today often reflect decisions made many years ago. The gifts charities receive in the future will be shaped by the connections they are building with supporters now.
That observation feels particularly relevant for the hospice sector.
A relationship that continues
Every day, hospice teams create experiences that families remember long after care has ended. People often recall not only the clinical expertise they encountered, but also the kindness of staff and volunteers, the support offered during difficult conversations and the sense of dignity that surrounded a loved one’s final days.
From my own personal experience, having the care and support of those around you at such an emotionally difficult time can transform the situation into something that is not only bearable, but something you can look back on with a sense of gratitude. To know that your loved one ended their days well; comfortable, at peace, and surrounded by family.
These moments matter. The report’s analysis of legacy donors suggests that people are most likely to include charitable gifts in their wills when they feel a meaningful connection to an organisation. Those connections may develop through giving, volunteering, receiving services or simply sharing a strong belief in a charity’s mission and values.
For hospices, relationships often combine all these elements. Unlike many causes, hospice care is deeply personal. Families experience first-hand the difference that compassionate, person-centred care can make at the end of life. In many cases, this creates a lasting bond with the organisation that provided that support.
A gift in a will can therefore be seen as an extension of that relationship. It becomes a way for supporters to continue helping future patients and families. The care received by one generation contributes to the care available for the next.
Viewed in this way, legacy giving represents more than philanthropy. It reflects a continuation of care beyond a person’s lifetime.
Building trust over time
The report also highlights changing patterns in how people think about legacy decisions.
Evidence suggests that people are making wills earlier than previous generations and are increasingly considering charitable gifts as part of that process. At the same time, demographic changes mean that the number of potential legacy donors is expected to grow significantly over the coming decades.
The Baby Boomer generation currently accounts for around a quarter of deaths in the UK, but this proportion is expected to rise substantially during the 2030s and 2040s. As a result, legacy income is forecast to continue growing over the long term.
However, the report also sounds a note of caution. While legacy giving remains strong, overall participation in charitable giving has declined. The report warns that future growth cannot be taken for granted. If fewer people feel connected to charities, fewer people may ultimately choose to include them in their wills.
For hospices, this reinforces the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships with supporters over time. Crucially, such engagement must always be handled with sensitivity.
Bereavement is not a fundraising opportunity. Families should never feel under pressure to make a gift or continue a relationship they do not wish to maintain. The trust that hospices earn through their care can only be preserved when future engagement is guided by respect, transparency and genuine concern for people’s wellbeing.
Many hospices already demonstrate this approach through remembrance services, memorial activities, volunteer programmes and ongoing bereavement support.
A legacy of compassion
The value of these activities extends beyond fundraising. They help people feel part of a community. They reinforce the values that define hospice care. And they provide opportunities for reflection, remembrance and continued support.
The Legacy Giving Report highlights the importance of charities focusing on understanding what motivates supporters and building sustained connections throughout their journey with an organisation. It suggests that meaningful relationships remain one of the strongest predictors of future legacy support.
For hospices, this principle is already embedded within their ethos. Palliative care is built on listening, understanding and responding to what matters most to individuals and families. Those same qualities help create the trust that underpins long-term support.
As financial pressures across the sector continue to grow, legacy gifts will remain an important source of income for many hospices. Yet their significance extends beyond funding alone.
Each legacy gift tells a story, and it reflects a personal experience, a set of values and a decision to invest in future care. It represents confidence in an organisation and belief in the difference it makes.
Ultimately, the strongest legacy programmes are not built on fundraising campaigns alone. They are built on relationships and the compassion shown to a family today may inspire support many years from now.
In that sense, legacy giving is not simply about what people leave behind, it is about how care, dignity and kindness continue to make a difference long into the future.
The Legacy Giving Report 2026 – Smee and Ford and Legacy Futures
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