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Leave a Gift in your Will
Some of the greatest challenges facing the world today are division, intolerance, inequality and conflict. At the RCS we use the Commonwealth's message of democracy, development, respect and understanding to educate and empower thousands of people across the world about the benefits shared by all within the Commonwealth family.
By remembering the RCS in your will, you can help to spread the Commonwealth's principles of diversity and tolerance, and enable more young people to benefit from the rich experiences and education that the Commonwealth has to offer. You can help us to build a better world for future generations.
Once you have provided for your loved ones, please consider leaving a gift, however large or small, to the RCS. Every gift in every will makes a difference.
As charities are exempt from inheritance tax, gifts left to the RCS are tax free, and will be deducted from the value of your estate before inheritance tax is calculated. This means that if you are eligible to pay inheritance tax, money that might go the Government could instead go to supporting the RCS.
HOW TO REMEMBER US IN YOUR WILL
Types of Gift
There are a number of different ways that you can remember the RCS in your will, and the most common are described below:
- A Residuary legacy is the gift of a share of a percentage of your estate, and is the residue left to the RCS after all other payments and commitments have been met.
- A Pecuniary legacy is a gift of a specific amount of money left to the RCS. The value of pecuniary legacies will decrease over time, as the cost of living increases.
- A Specific legacy is a gift of a particular object to the RCS, for example a painting, jewellery, shares etc.
- A Reversionary legacy allows for your estate or particular assets to be passed onto your spouse, children or other named individual for their lifetime. On their death the whole or a percentage of these assets will be reverted to the RCS.
How to leave a Legacy to the RCS
If you already have a will, but would like to add a gift to the RCS, you can do so without revoking your whole will. To do this you need to complete a 
Codicil form 
, which you should then send directly to your solicitor.
If you do not yet have a Will, you should contact your solicitor. When remembering the RCS in your Will, please include the following information:
The Royal Commonwealth Society
25 Northumberland Avenue
London, WC2N 5AP
United Kingdom
Charity Registration No: 226748
If you live overseas, the rules about leaving a gift to the RCS in your will may be different, and we advise you to contact your solicitor for specialist advice.
If you have already made a gift to the RCS in your will or intend to do so, and would like to let us know, we would be very pleased to hear from you. This will enable us to estimate long-term funding for the future, to thank you for your generous support and keep in touch with more information about the RCS' work. Informing us about your intentions will not put you under any obligation, and your communication will be kept private and confidential.
For more information about leaving a legacy to the RCS, please contact Tim Drew on +44 (0)20 7766 9216 or by email at legacygiving@thercs.org 
.