Could your generosity help to transform the lives of thousands of animals in Nepal?
Legacy gifts allow you to make a powerful and lasting impact for the causes that you care about after you’re gone. Even by gifting a very small portion of your estate to charity, the difference that it can make will be huge, especially for us at KAT Centre and the street dogs and cats that we rescue on a daily basis. With your help we can expand and invest in the future of animal welfare in this country. Please join us in reaching our ultimate goal of ensuring that every single animal in Nepal lives a life free from suffering.
This page details what is involved in leaving a legacy gift and the simple steps you can take to remember KAT Centre in your Will.
Why I’m leaving a legacy for the KAT Centre
“Family dogs and cats have always been part of my life. My dogs have all been adopted from animal shelters and all came with a sad story. (My cats have always just appeared at my door and adopted me!)
My current dog, Buddy, came to me from one of these rescue organizations. For the first three years of his life he had been kept on a chain 24/7 in a junk pile with no socialization or veterinary care. I have had him now for two years during which time he has blossomed! He has been trained and certified as a therapy dog, visiting hospitals, schools, and prisons, bringing the comfort and respite that only dogs can provide. He is an example of how resilient dogs can be with love, care, and training. Buddy is now one of the “star” success stories of the rescue organization, often featured in their publicity.
In 2008 I had the privilege of spending a summer in Nepal under a faculty study grant and loved everything about the country, but I was horrified by the lives of the street dogs. Nothing I had seen before prepared me to see their suffering and struggles to survive! As soon as I returned home I went online to find a way to help and discovered the wonderful work that KAT is doing. Since that time, I have been a contributing supporter as much as I am able, including sponsoring KAT’s house dogs. I am enormously proud to be a part of KAT’s wonderful work, even from where I am, here on the other side of the world!
I am single with no dependents, and so I did not have to think long about how to direct my estate when I pass away. I have chosen KAT to be one of the major beneficiaries in my will. I am not wealthy, but it is so good to know that the wonderful work of KAT will continue to grow with my help even after I am gone to benefit the struggling lives of the street dogs and cats of beautiful Nepal!”
Buddy and me
Buddy on his graduation day from therapy dog training!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I include a gift to KAT Centre in my will?
Can I update my Will without re-writing it?
If you already have a will, you can simply make an amendment known as a codicil, to include KAT Centre as a beneficiary. It is a quick and easy process. Please ask your legal advisor for more information.
How do I write a Will?
If you live in the United Kingdom: Free Wills is a free, online tool that makes it simple for you to write a will in under 20 minutes and include a legacy with KAT Centre. If you have a more complex estate, you can use FreeWill to create a documented list of wishes before finalizing your plans with an attorney. Please visit https://www.freewills.co.uk/ to start yours today.
If you live in the United States: there is a service called Freewill: https://www.freewill.com/
which offers a similar free service.
Different Types of Legacies
First decide the type of legacy you wish to leave. This can be a specific legacy, a pecuniary legacy or a residuary bequest.
- A specific legacy consists of a specific item of personal property
- A pecuniary legacy consists of a specified sum of money
- A residuary bequest is the residue of your estate, or a share of the residue, after your debts have been settled and any legacies you leave to other people have been paid.
All of these are extremely welcome contributions to our charity. At the same time, we know you want to have the highest impact. A residuary bequest generally benefits The KAT Centre most as its value increases in line with inflation. This also makes it much simpler to work out as it can be done on a percentage basis, or as the remainder left over after your other commitments have been made.
Adding to your existing Will
If you have already made your Will, a bequest to our charity can be added to it by a Codicil. This is an amendment to update your existing Will, meaning that in most cases a new one does not have to be written.
Tax and wording advice for your Will
We have provided examples of specimen words you may find useful if you wish to include a legacy or bequest to The KAT Centre in your Will.
Specific legacy
The suggested form of wording for a specific legacy is:
“I give and bequeath unto the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (UK) DT4 9QF (a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales no. 1137647) my [… description of the property you wish to give …] to be applied for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the Chairperson or other proper officer for the time being of The KAT Centre shall be sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”
Pecuniary legacy
The suggested form of wording for a pecuniary legacy is:
“I give and bequeath unto the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (UK) DT4 9QF (a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales no. 1137647) the sum of £…………… to be applied for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the Chairperson or other proper officer for the time being of the KAT Centre shall be sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”
Residuary bequest
A residuary bequest is generally of the greatest benefit to our charity as its value increases in line with inflation.
If you wish to leave all the residue of your estate to our charity, the suggested form of wording is:
“Subject to the payment of my funeral and testamentary expenses I give devise and bequeath the residue of my real and personal property of whatsoever nature and wheresoever situate of or to which I shall be entitled at the date of my death to my Trustees upon trust for the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (UK) DT4 9QF (a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales no. 1137647) absolutely to be applied for its general charitable purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Chairperson or other proper officer for the time being of the KAT Centre shall be sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”
If you wish to leave a share of the residue of your estate to our charity, your solicitor will explain how the bequest should be worded.
As a charity working directly in the field and needing to respond to needs as and when they occur, it is most helpful if bequests are made for the general charitable purposes of the charity as this means your gift can be spent where it is most needed at the time it is received. Of course, you may also, if you wish, specify that your bequest be used exclusively for a specific purpose. In that case, we will dutifully use your legacy according to your instructions.
Tax Benefits
Tax benefits (In the UK)
Leave a lasting legacy and benefit your estate at the same time.
There can be sound financial reasons why it makes sense to leave a legacy to the KAT Centre in your Will.
If you own your own house, this could well mean that the value of your estate will be above the Inheritance Tax threshold.
You may be able to considerably reduce the amount of tax your estate pays on your death – or even remove it altogether.
As a general rule:
- Gifts to registered charities are wholly exempt from Inheritance Tax
- If you leave all of your estate to charities, no Inheritance Tax will be paid from your estate at all
- If you choose to leave part of your estate to relatives and friends, you can reduce the Inheritance Tax payable by also making a bequest to a registered charity.
What’s more, the Budget in March 2011 gave a further incentive to charitable giving, by announcing that if you choose to leave 10% or more of your estate to charity, your estate will benefit from a cut in the actual rate of Inheritance Tax payable.
Specifically, anyone leaving 10% or more of their estate to charity will have their Inheritance Tax rate reduced from 40% to 36% from April 2012.
This really is great news for charities and a move which we hope will boost significantly the number of people who leave a lasting legacy to their favourite causes. Encouragingly, the Chancellor went on to say in his speech that ‘we want giving 10% to charity in legacies to become the norm’.
What is the long-term impact of my gift for KAT Centre?
Take a look at our success stories to see the amazing transformation of formerly maltreated, sick animals into happy cats and dogs!
One of our volunteers with Sarna, a long term resident of KAT Centre.
