Legacy giving – a special kind of commitment and a bold investment in a better future

This week is Remember a Charity Week and we’re delighted to once more take part in this annual event to raise awareness of the importance legacy giving in the UK.

EIA founding directors Allan Thornton, Jennifer Lonsdale and Dave Currey in the mid-1980s … (c) EIAimage

Legacies are a particularly special gift because they are an investment for future generations by someone whose life has ended.

We can never anticipate receiving legacies so it’s always a lovely surprise when a letter arrives, informing us that someone believed in EIA’s work to the extent that they wished to remember us in their Will. At the same time, there is, of course, always sadness attached to legacies.

This year has been a busy one, as usual, for EIA and has seen us achieving good results despite the unusual and challenging circumstances created by the pandemic. There is always a mountain of work to be done by our small but high-achieving organisation and 2020 has been no different.

Despite EIA’s office being closed since mid-March and our team of campaigners and investigators unable to undertake international travel and field work, we have effectively adapted to this unprecedented situation.

At presently, our work is almost all conducted online and we continue to work effectively for the protection of the environment. As you are aware, both the ongoing destruction of pristine rainforests and the illegal trade in wildlife are key factors in the emergence of diseases such as the coronavirus COVID-19, which is widely understood to have made the jump from animals to humans.

… and together again in 2019, celebrating 35 years of the organisation they created (c) EIAimage

To avoid future pandemics, global action is needed to protect our precious biodiversity – and ourselves.

As a founder of EIA, I would never have dreamed 36 years ago that this organisation was destined to make such a difference to our world. I am very proud that we have saved the lives of millions of animals, prevented significant amounts of climate-harming gases going into the atmosphere and plastics going into the ocean. We have brought about changes to legislation in the US and EU which significantly reduce illegal trade in timber and destruction of the forests.

I am humbled that people believe in us and are prepared to support our work.

But the work never stops and legacy gifts from loyal supporters will continue helping us to achieve our goals for a better future.

To find out more about remembering EIA in your Will, please visit the legacy section of our website.