National Free Wills Network National Free Wills Network

It’s a legacy fundraising programme that lets charities offer their supporters a simple Will, written or updated free of charge by a local solicitor. In return, supporters are encouraged, but not obliged, to consider leaving a gift in their Will to the charity that referred them.

1. Your charity promotes the free Will offer to its supporters.

2. Supporters who are interested ask for more information, and your charity refers them to the Network.

3. We send each supporter a Charity Free Will Pack listing participating solicitors near them, and others who offer remote appointments.

4. The supporter chooses a solicitor and makes an appointment to have their Will written.

5. Your charity pays a fixed fee for each completed Will, and we report back any gift left to you.

There’s no cost to join. Participating solicitors are paid a fee for each Will completed through the Network, and can charge clients for any work beyond a simple Will. Find out more about becoming a participating solicitor.

No, there’s no obligation. Even so, 74% of people who use the Network choose to include a gift to the charity that referred them.

Your charity pays a membership fee, annually or quarterly, plus a fixed fee for each completed Will. Supporters pay nothing for their simple Will. Get in touch for current prices.

Legacy fundraising is a long-term investment, and returns are usually measured over 5 to 15 years. In the meantime, you can see which supporters have included a gift, because every result is reported back to you. The Network works especially well with warm, loyal supporters, and many charities value it as a way to engage supporters as well as to grow their legacy pipeline.

Simple Wills: a single Will, or mirror Wills for couples. Each solicitor decides what counts as a simple Will. If a supporter’s estate is more complex, or they want other services such as trusts, tax advice or Lasting Powers of Attorney, they usually pay the solicitor directly for that work.

Qualified local solicitors. The Network is solicitor-only, with no Will writers or fully online services, and works with over 1,000 law firms across the UK. Each firm is checked for its Law Society registration, qualifications and experience in Will writing. On average, supporters have a Network solicitor within 3 miles of home.

The solicitor, not your charity, is responsible for the legal advice and the Will itself, which protects your charity from legal liability. The free Will is only available from solicitors in the Network, so supporters who prefer their own solicitor pay for their Will themselves.

Yes. Most supporters visit their solicitor’s office, but each one can choose from twelve solicitors: six they can visit in person and six who work remotely. Depending on the firm, a remote appointment might be a phone or video call, or an online Will form.

You promote it to your own supporters, through channels such as direct mail, email, your website and supporter magazines. You decide how the offer is presented and keep your own tone of voice, so it fits your wider campaigns. We provide key wording that every promotion should include, along with a Legacy Handbook, customisable materials and a library of other charities’ materials for inspiration.

The My Free Wills Portal lets you follow every referral from start to finish, and shows:

• how many supporters you’ve referred

• how many Wills have been completed

• basic details for each supporter

• the type and size of gifts left to your charity

You’ll also receive monthly performance reports, and can download your full results at any time.

Everything is handled in line with UK data protection law, including GDPR. Supporter data is kept secure, consent is managed properly, and what a supporter discusses with their solicitor stays confidential. The My Free Wills Portal uses multi-factor authentication, 256-bit encryption and UK-based hosting.

Setting up usually takes a few weeks, plus time to plan and launch your first campaign, and we’ll support you throughout. After that, it needs little day-to-day work: your marketing team promotes the offer and your legacy or fundraising team handles enquiries. Many charities begin with a pilot, such as a campaign for one quarter or one group of supporters, then scale up as results come in.

Our members range from household names to charities with a regional or local focus. The Network tends to work best for charities that:

• have an established base of supporters

• are investing in legacy fundraising

• can actively promote the offer

• are prepared for long-term returns

The Network isn’t open to the public, so the only way to use it is to be referred by a member charity. Check our charity directory, then contact your charity to ask about their free Wills offer.

Once they refer you, we’ll send you a Charity Free Will Pack with everything you need. It should arrive within 5 working days. If you haven’t received it within 2 weeks of contacting the charity, let us know and we’ll send a replacement.

There’s more on our page for supporters.