Remember a Charity Week: Humanist perspectives on legacy

For humanists, the knowledge that this is the only life we have gives life its urgency, beauty, and depth. We cannot rely on the promise of another world. Instead, we make the most of this one, cherishing connection, acts of kindness, and the small unique moments that make our lives meaningful. Yet while the span of our lives is short, the effect of how we choose to live will often stay around for much longer. The values we hold, the people we influence, and the causes we support are all ways in which we can ‘live on’.

For #RememberACharityWeek, a week where UK charities get together to share stories of the impact of gifts in Wills, we looked through the personal testimonies of Humanists UK members who are thinking of leaving gifts in their Will to Humanists UK. Many of these stories all shared common themes that reflected humanist attitudes to death, caring for our loved ones, and leaving behind a better world.

As one supporter put it when we asked them how they would like to ‘live on’: 

‘I am a transient speck in a universe which we don’t know from where it came or where it is headed, but while I exist I will use the intellect and abilities I have to help make human and other sentient beings’ existence more comfortable.

‘I will live on through the actions I take, especially those that influence others. I have been privileged to have some influence through being a teacher.’

The only life we have

The awareness that life is finite is not something to fear, but something that can focus our priorities. For humanists, this heightens the importance of treating others with kindness, working to make society fairer, and pursuing knowledge and creativity while we have the chance. In recognising that we do not have ‘forever’, each day and each moment we are here becomes infinitely more valuable.

Many who came to humanism after having been religious describe their journey not as a loss, but as a liberation. One member recalled:

‘Religion has never been able to explain sickness, pain, grief, death… With humanism we can honestly discuss reality and hopes without unrealistic expectations.’

Another member told us:

‘I tried for years to have some sort of religious belief but it was impossible with my scientific and medical background. When I die, I will live on as memory traces in my wife and family, in any good things that I have done in the world and finally as atoms in the world and the universe.’

A life that echoes

When we think about the legacy we will leave behind, most of us think of other people whose lives have touched ours. A teacher who inspired us, a parent or grandparent whose kindness shaped us, a friend who shared joy with us in difficult times. Those influences stay with us and, in turn, we pass them on.

Again and again, humanists spoke about living on not in an imagined heaven, but in the real-world traces of a life well lived.

One supporter said simply:

‘My husband and I had no children so my legacy can only be the echoes of any good (or bad) I have done. I hope that somewhere those acts of kindness live on.’

Another described life like a ‘relay race’. saying:

‘I will not live on after I am gone. It is a relay race – I have to pass the baton to those who live after me. I hope people will sing songs they remember me singing and pass them on in their turn. I hope that the many good times we had together will form happy memories for my friends, my son, and my grandson.’

And yet another told us poetically:

‘Life is like a light bulb. If you’re lucky it will last a long time, then suddenly go pop. Taking you back to the dark as before. So do your best to leave the planet a little better than you found it. After all, you did see the light.’

These words all convey that the impact of a human life is not measured in duration, but in its brightness and its generosity. What we hand on to others – our memories, our kindnesses, our principles – will continue to ripple outward long after we are gone. In this sense, the legacies we leave behind are not only financial ones, but values and ideals woven into the fabric of other people’s lives.

Why Humanists UK matters

Many members said they were choosing to leave a gift to Humanists UK for this reason, with some testimonials emphasising that they saw Humanists UK as not just an organisation, but a community of people working together to create something better: a society guided by compassion, reason, and fairness. 

A campaign for social change. A shared conviction. A community of like-minded people pushing in the same direction for a better world.

For many, Humanists UK has been a place of belonging – a home for shared values and a platform for change. Some joined after a lifetime of quiet disbelief, others after painful experiences with religion, and others – many of whom were never religious to begin with – after moments of introspection about their values.

One member wrote:

‘I like to think of Humanists UK continuing their good work well into the future and hope to leave something in my will.’

Another said,

‘Apart from family and friends, Humanists UK and the Open University are the only institutions to be named in my will – for the means they provide to foster rational and independent thinking.’

And one supporter summed it up:

‘I hope the gift I am leaving to Humanists UK in my will helps to continue the reform that is needed to make my descendants’ world a better and fairer one for all.’

We were naturally elated to see such positive feelings expressed towards our work, and heartened by the confidence of many members that their legacy would see the world they supported for in life endure and grow even after they have died.

Living on through legacy

Every year, legacies from supporters form an extraordinary part of what makes Humanists UK’s work possible – in some years making up almost half of our income. They allow us to campaign for a fairer, more rational society; to provide humanist ceremonies for life’s most meaningful moments; to stand up for freedom of belief and expression; and to ensure a compassionate, ethical voice in public life.

That support is not abstract. It translates directly into campaigns that challenge unfair privilege, into celebrants who help families mark births, marriages, and funerals in a meaningful way, and into education that equips young people to think freely for themselves. Each gift helps to sustain this work for future generations.

A gift in your will, no matter the size, is one of the most powerful ways you can live on through Humanism. It is a way to carry forward your values, to help build the better world you hoped for in life, and to support those who will come after you.

As one of our members put it:

‘We would like to have a funeral without religious ceremony when we die. We are comfortable with having one life to live and try to make the absolute best of it. The humanist movement is everything I would like my children to support one day… that we do not fear death and that it is ok that there is a finality to life.’

To think about leaving a legacy is not to dwell on death, but to affirm life. It is to say: here is what mattered to me, here is what I stood for, here is how I want the world to continue to grow. It is an act of generosity that reaches beyond time, linking our brief lives to the ongoing story of humanity.

An invitation

This Remember a Charity in Your Will Week, we invite you to reflect on what it means to live well, and what kind of difference you want your life to make – not only while you are here, but in the work that can continue in your name.

By including a gift to Humanists UK in your will, you ensure that the values you hold dear – reason, compassion, fairness, and the pursuit of a better world – will live on.

Because while this is the only life we have, together we can make sure each of our lives has an impact that reaches far beyond ourselves.

To find out more about gifts in wills, please visit the legacy section of our website, email info@humanists.uk, or call 020 7324 3060.