Make a donation in your Will

Including a charitable donation in your Will is a simple process that can provide far-reaching support for future generations.

Many of our alumni have been inspired to make a gift in this way. Among them is Former Mayor of Durham, Norman Richardson. He and wife Mildred made a donation in their Will to establish and maintain a full-time professorship in Travel and Tourism at Northumbria University. Alumnus Paul Winters has championed the progress of students through his named scholarship since 2015 and recently made provision in his Will to support widening access and participation.

Discussing your plans

We understand that the decision to leave a legacy donation is highly personal. We will work closely with you to identify an area of support that reflects your own concerns, passions and interests. We are unable to offer legal or financial advice, but we are happy to answer your questions about legacies in general. It is important to consult your legal adviser before drafting a new Will, updating an existing one or making other plans for your estate. We will also talk in detail with you, or your solicitor if requested, about the type of legacy that would be best suited to your wishes and circumstances. Typically, there are four options you may wish to consider;

Legacy Options

A residuary legacy. This is the gift of all or part of the value of your estate, after debts, other legacies and liabilities have been met. This has the advantage of being more likely to keep up with inflation. 
A monetary legacy. This is a gift of a fixed sum of money, also known as a pecuniary gift, which you can arrange to be increased in line with inflation. 
A specific legacy. This is the gift of something valuable like a property, a piece of jewellery or stocks and shares. The form of wording used is the same as a monetary legacy, except that the gift is specified instead of a cash sum. 
A reversionary legacy. This gift has the advantage of providing for your family first and then benefiting the University. Therefore, when the original beneficiary dies, the gift in your Will reverts to Northumbria University.

Let us know of your intentions

The details of your Will are naturally a private matter and, understandably, you may prefer to keep your intentions to yourself. However, if you wish, you can use the following form to let us know whether you propose to leave a legacy to Northumbria University.

Legacy Intentions Letter

Add to your existing Will

If you already have a Will, you can add a beneficiary to it by means of a codicil. If you would like to include Northumbria University in your existing Will, please use the following letter;

Adding to your existing Will letter