White-tailed Rubythroat © Pete Morris / Birdquest
Leaving a gift to the Oriental Bird Club (OBC) in your will
“This COVID pandemic is making us all think hard about our lives, and lockdown is giving us time to contemplate our priorities when the world gets back to normal!
As a conservationist I’m always fretting about the state of nature and thinking about legacy, but I don’t pretend that makes me different from anyone else. Legacy, however, takes many forms—what you leave in the world, what you leave for the world.
If you’re reading this it can only be because you love Asia’s birds and because you support OBC—so you must know how much the Club has done for Asian bird conservation over the past 35 years.
A legacy of any size will add to the collective capacity of the Club to do good in the world for birds, for nature and for Asia. Remembering OBC is a real, practical way of helping Asian birds live on.”
Nigel Collar, Leventis Fellow in conservation biology with BirdLife International and previous Chairman of OBC
The Oriental Bird Club is a UK registered charity dedicated to helping conservation in the Oriental region. Leaving a gift as a legacy in your will to the Oriental Bird Club will help fund critically important work protecting Asia’s birds. All gifts, no matter how small, are gratefully received.
It is very easy to leave a legacy; the information below will help you. The OBC is dependent on the generosity of its many supporters to sustain our vital work of protecting and conserving Asian birds, and the habitats on which they rely, for future generations to enjoy. The Club is a 100% volunteer-based charity, and so, unlike many larger charities, 100% of any money you leave to OBC will be spent on conservation.
About the OBC
Since the Club’s inception in 1984, OBC has invested more than £500,000 in local conservation projects and helped to safeguard populations of the region’s ‘avian stars’ such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Gurney’s Pitta, Chinese Crested Tern and Jankowski’s Bunting. Through the generous support of members and corporate sponsors, the Club’s conservation fund has supported hundreds of projects throughout Asia, primarily run in-region by local people. OBC supports a range of projects, including those that study birds and their habitats, support local researchers, raise awareness of bird conservation in local schools and communities, and take action to stop habitat destruction.
The OBC operates two funds: the Conservation Fund and the Bertram Smythies Fund. The Conservation Fund offers small conservation grants twice annually and can provide small-scale funding if emergencies occur at other times. The Bertram Smythies Fund was established using a substantial bequest from the late Bertram Smythies, author of The Birds of Burma and The Birds of Borneo. This fund is used to support larger conservation projects that fall outside the aims or budget of the Conservation Fund.
Examples of the many completed OBC projects include:
Helping to protect endangered species threatened by the Asian Songbird trade
Shorebird ringing and training project in Bangladesh
Tracking population changes and mapping habitat of Black-necked Cranes in their wintering habitat in Bhutan
Endangered pheasant species training workshops in Thailand
Investigation of the live bird trade in Uttar Pradesh, India
Javan Lapwing surveys in West Java
Funding Jankowski’s Bunting surveys in north-east China
Plus many, many more…
Making a will
Writing a will is very important, as it is the only way you can be sure that your wishes are followed, and that what you leave behind will go to the people and causes you care about most. A will is also very helpful to your family and friends as a record of your wishes. OBC is not qualified to provide legal or tax advice and it is strongly recommended that you take professional advice when making a will. However, what follows is intended to give you general guidance. It assumes that you are UK domiciled and that your assets are UK-based.
A simple way to start is to make a list of your possessions, including everything from small personal items such as jewellery to larger assets including your home, pension and savings.
Choosing your executors
The executors you choose are responsible for ensuring that your wishes are carried out as you specify. You can choose to nominate a professional person such as a solicitor or an accountant, or you can appoint a partner, relative or close friend, so long as they are over 18 years old.
Deciding on your beneficiaries
Your will provides for your family and friends, and it is only natural that they will be the first people you think of. However, you can also choose to leave a lasting gift to the Oriental Bird Club, which will directly help fund the Club’s vital conservation work in Asia. Leaving a share of your estate after you have provided for family and friends is a great way of supporting us, and means that you don’t have to decide now on a particular sum.
Deciding on the type of gift to leave
There are several different types of gift you can leave in your will. The most common forms include:
Residuary gift: the remainder of the estate after all other bequests have been made and any debts or other liabilities have been cleared.
Pecuniary gift: a fixed sum of money in your will. (The value of pecuniary legacies decreases over time, as the cost of living rises. Your solicitor should be able to advise you on how to index link it.)
Specific gift: a named item, left as a gift in your will, such as a piece of jewellery, an artwork or a book collection.
Whichever type of gift you choose, if you decide to include the Oriental Bird Club in your will, please do let us know. We can then ensure that we are aware of your wishes and can keep you informed of our work. Most importantly, it allows us to thank you!
Including OBC in your will
If you decide to remember OBC in your will, you might like to take the following suggested words to your solicitor.
Please also remember to use our full name, Oriental Bird Club, and the correct registered address and charity numbers shown below.
Residuary gift (a proportion)
“I give all (or a percentage share) of my Residuary Estate to the Oriental Bird Club (Registered Charity Number 297242) of 8 Holly Bank Cottages, The Avenue, Comberbach, Cheshire, CW9 6HT, United Kingdom to be applied for its general purposes.”
Pecuniary gift (a specific sum)
“I give the sum of _________ pounds to the Oriental Bird Club (Registered Charity Number 297242) of 8 Holly Bank Cottages, The Avenue, Comberbach, Cheshire, CW9 6HT
...AND I DIRECT that:
(a) the receipt of the person who professes to be the treasurer or other proper office for the time being of the above mentioned charity shall be a complete discharge to my Executors
(b) if before my death the above mentioned charity has changed its name or amalgamated with or transferred all its assets to any other body then my Executors shall give effect to the gift as if it has been made to the body in its changed name or to the body which results from the amalgamation or to which the transfer has been made.
Gifts in memory
“I wish that donations in lieu of flowers at my funeral be given to OBC.”
Updating a will
If you have already made a will, it is easy to make changes or additions by adding a codicil. This avoids the cost of having your will completely re-written. Your solicitor can help you add a codicil, but you might like to suggest the following form of words.
“This is a codicil of (your name) of (your address) to my will dated (date of original will). I give (details of gift) to the Oriental Bird Club (Registered Charity No.297242) of 8 Holly Bank Cottages, The Avenue, Comberbach, Cheshire, CW9 6HT, United Kingdom for its general purposes, and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or duly authorised officer shall be a valid and appropriate form of discharge. In all other respects, I confirm the contents of my will dated (date of original will).”
How will OBC use your gift?
Gifts left to OBC in wills provide important funds that enable OBC to invest quickly where help is most needed, allowing us to help those species in most dire need of assistance. 100% of your gift will be used to help Asia’s most threatened birds. If you wish to specifically express how you would like your funds to be spent, OBC will of course ensure that this happens.
Your will and the law
Inheritance Tax is a UK tax on money or possessions you leave behind and may be payable on your estate when you pass away: it applies to people who are domiciled in the UK and also to UK assets of people domiciled overseas. A certain amount of the estate can usually be passed on tax-free. This is called the ‘nil-rate band’ allowance, which is currently £325,000. Importantly, gifts to charity in a will are exempt from inheritance tax. It bears mention that leaving a gift to a charity such as the OBC may potentially help family and friends who will benefit from your will: this is because if an estate is worth enough to be taxable and 10% of the taxable part is gifted to charity, that part is then taxed at 36% instead of 40%.
Who can write my will?
The OBC is a charity, and not qualified to give legal advice, so we strongly recommend that you use a registered solicitor or will writer to help you write your will. The laws relating to the creation of wills may vary depending on where you live, so to find a qualified solicitor in your area we suggest contacting The Law Society at www.lawsociety.org.uk or by phoning them on 020 7242 1222.
For will writers, contact The Society of Will Writers at www.willwriters.com (tel: 01522 687888) or the Institute of Professional Will Writers at www.ipw.org.uk (tel: 0345 257 2570).
If you would like more information about including a gift in your will to OBC you can get in touch using this email address: legacies@orientalbirdclub.org
Oriental Bird Club, UK registered charity No. 297242, is an organisation for people around the world who are interested in the birds of the Oriental region