More people bequeath portions of their estates to nonprofit organizations
Dutch charities received nearly 500 million euros from estates in 2024, a surge of over 40 percent compared with five years ago, reflecting a growing trend of people leaving parts of their inheritance to nonprofit organizations. According to the Central Bureau on Fundraising (CBF), requests now account for roughly 30 percent of all private donations to recognized charities.
The Dutch Cancer Society KWF Kankerbestrijding remained the top recipient, followed by Doctors Without Borders and the Salvation Army, while donations to education and science, though smaller, grew significantly last year.
Donors can leave a fixed sum or their entire estate to a charity, with some organizations acting as executors to manage the inheritance.
Jana van Muijden, who advises on special donations for the Dierenbescherming (Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals), told NOS that the organization is often surprised by the generosity of donors. “We are always amazed that people grant their entire possessions, or part of them, to the Dierenbescherming. It is very special,” she said. Over the past decade, income from estate donations for the Dierenbescherming has doubled from 10 million to 20 million euros annually.
Legal expert Bernard Schols noted that charities are increasingly being included in wills, especially by childless couples and wealthy individuals. “Most notaries now maintain a book listing all charities from which people can choose,” he told NOS. “I see wealthy parents wanting their children to also have to work a bit for themselves in life.”
Estate donations are not without controversy. Schols highlighted cases where heirs contest bequests, including a dispute against CliniClowns in which a daughter challenged the portion left to the organization. “For heirs, it can be an unpleasant surprise that everything goes to a charity and they only receive their statutory share,” he said. “But the charity cannot do otherwise: the will of the deceased is law.”
According to the report Geven in Nederland 2024, 54 percent of people over 55 have drafted a will, and 8 percent include charitable organizations. Researchers project that annual estate donations could reach at least 2.1 billion euros by 2048 and, in the most optimistic scenario, could exceed 6 billion euros.
