Solidarity wills donated 54 million euros to non-profit organizations in 2023, a growth of 33% compared to 2022, according to data provided this Monday by the HazTestamentoSolidario.org platform, made up of more than twenty NGOs. The increase shows “that year after … year, people find in the will one more channel through which to express their solidarity with the causes that matter to them,” those responsible for the platform point out in a statement.
The legacy of solidarity wills helps transform the lives of the people most in need (caring for children, human rights, advancing medical research…) or preserving the world through collaboration with environmental entities. And more and more people express their desire to help NGOs with which they share their values in a document known as a solidarity will.
The report states that in 2023, solidarity wills have meant 54 million euros for the member entities of the platform compared to 40 million last year, 33% more. Foundations and non-profit entities received the announcement from 582 citizens who had included them in their solidarity will, 31% more than in 2022.
The solidarity wills received in 2023 come from Catalonia (82), Madrid (45), Andalusia (33), the Basque Country (32), Castilla y León (27) and Aragón (25), which are the Communities where the most solidarity wills come from . By province, the list places Barcelona in first place, followed by Madrid, Vizcaya, Navarra, Valencia, Asturias and Guipúzcoa.
In terms of the value of donations collected, the Community of Madrid is in first place, followed by Catalonia, Andalusia, the Basque Country, the Canary Islands, Castilla y León, Navarra and Aragón. The Canary Islands is the autonomous community that has received the most amount through five solidarity wills.
89,000 euros on average
Making a joint will is a “very simple” act through which any person can include in the document any specific asset or all or part of their inheritance for social causes, without prejudice to their forced heirs. “For this there is no minimum or maximum amount of money or goods donated, only the will to want to help,” they specify from HazTestamentoSolidario.org. The average donation in 2023 has been 89,000 euros.
In general, in 2023, 742,123 wills were made in Spain, 16% more than in 2022 and two points above the previous post-covid record (709,082 in 2021). In the words of Juan Carlos Martínez Ortega, doctor of law, notary officer and president of the advisory council of the International Professional Union of Notarial Auxiliaries (Uipan), “the notarial will is the ideal vehicle to leave, even small amounts, to solidarity entities with those most in need.
Profile of the testators
Historically, women are the ones who collaborate the most with their will (in 2023, 66% of people who announce having made a joint will are women).
Regarding marital status, it is a variant that has been balanced over the years: more and more married people are joining (in 2023, single and married people will be equal and represent 40% of people who announce having made a joint will). Lastly, this same report highlights a clear trend toward younger age at which this type of will is made: in the 60s, compared to 80 years ago.
