It’s because of a legacy that was left to the Foundation by retired teacher Marjorie Gordon that we are able to support a large number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in vocational education through bursaries.

There are several options when it comes to leaving a legacy:

Leaving a Legacy to an Established Fund

If you care about Dorset and would like your charitable bequest to support those most in need, leaving a legacy to one of our established funds such as the Neighbourhood Fund, the Lord-Lieutenant’s Fund for Young and Talented or the DCF Bursary Scheme might be an option. These funds have been set up by the Foundation because of an identified local need and we can share case studies of supported individuals and groups with you and even take you on one of our Seeing is Believing visits – so you can see for yourself what a difference the funding is making!

Setting up a Named Legacy Fund

Larger legacies of, for example, £25,000 or more, can be used to establish a unique Named Legacy Fund with the Foundation similar to the Marjorie Gordon Fund we manage.

In these cases, the legacy is normally invested in an endowment fund and the yield from the investment is distributed annually in the form of grants to a cause or an area close to the heart of the donor.

Supporting Existing Charities and Community Groups

You might want your legacy to support the smaller local charities and community groups, but you are worried that as they are not very big or are completely volunteer led they may not be as permanent as the bigger regional or national charities.

If a donor wishes to support a number of local charities, a legacy can be left to the Foundation with instructions to distribute the donation between local specific charities, perhaps over a period of years.

If any of the charities close down in the meantime, we will ensure that the gift is redirected to another organisation with similar aims.

Letter of Wishes Agreement

A letter of wishes agreement, such as the sample below, is a straight-forward way of agreeing in advance with Dorset Community Foundation how you want us to manage your legacy for the community.

Please fill in the document:

We understand that talking about leaving a legacy can be quite difficult and you might like a lot of additional information before deciding to leave a charitable bequest. 

For more information please contact our contact our director Grant Robson on 01202 670815 or email him at grant@dorsetcf.org. 

Pledge and Enquiry Form

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We may use your information to contact you in the future about Dorset Community Foundation activities, including fundraising.