MyLastWill Blog

Are Charities’ High Director Salaries Putting You Off Leaving a Legacy?

Many of us understand the value of leaving a charitable legacy in our will – it supports a cause we believe in after we’re gone, while also reducing the Inheritance Tax liability on our estate. But recent headlines about eye-catching executive salaries in the charity sector may have left some people wondering whether their generosity is really reaching those who need it most.

In this post, My Last Will looks at the reasons behind those headline figures – and why they shouldn’t necessarily put you off leaving a will legacy to a cause that truly resonates with you.


Early in 2025, the Telegraph newspaper conducted an analysis of the Charity Commission’s latest data, revealing that a number of employees within the charity sector were earning salaries of more than £400,000 a year. Perhaps more striking still, the number of individuals earning at this level had risen from 27 in 2019 to 44 in 2024.

Looking back to 2022, some of the charities with the highest-earning CEOs and directors included household names such as Save the Children International, Cancer Research UK, The British Red Cross Society, and The British Heart Foundation – with some salaries ranging between £180,000 and £300,000.

For many people, this kind of news comes as a real disappointment. These are organisations that do tremendous good in the world, and understandably, discovering that senior figures earn such substantial sums can prompt doubts about whether a legacy gift would truly make a difference.


Before making any decisions, it’s worth understanding how charities in England and Wales are overseen. The Charity Commission was established by the Charitable Trusts Act 1853 and is responsible for approving, registering, and regulating charities – including scrutinising how they use their funds. Its mission has changed very little in over 170 years, which means that in most cases, you can support registered charities with a genuine degree of confidence.

As part of its role, the Charity Commission carefully examines the balance between executive pay and the demands of senior roles, ensuring that compensation does not divert funds away from a charity’s core mission. It’s also worth remembering that many of the charities mentioned are among the UK’s largest and most complex organisations – managing thousands of staff, operating in multiple countries, and overseeing budgets that rival those of significant businesses. Running them effectively requires genuine leadership talent.

David Holdsworth, the current CEO of the Charity Commission, responded directly to the Telegraph’s analysis, stating that “large and complex charities need to attract talented people to run them.”

It’s also important to bear in mind that sensationalist stories tend to focus on the most dramatic end of any spectrum. The broader reality is that the charity sector contributes almost £100 billion to the UK economy each year – and fewer than 5% of charities pay anyone a salary above £60,000. The vast majority of charitable work in this country is carried out by volunteers.


Ultimately, the decision to leave a charitable legacy should be based on your own thorough evaluation of a charity’s mission, its track record, and the real-world impact of its work. If a particular cause resonates deeply with your values, don’t let a headline deter you from making a meaningful difference.

And remember – when you write your will with My Last Will, you are not limited to the big-name national charities. There are countless worthwhile causes closer to home, including local hospices, community organisations, and smaller charities that do extraordinary work with modest resources. Your legacy could make an enormous difference to an organisation where every pound truly counts.


Leaving a gift to charity in your will carries real and lasting benefits:

• It provides clarity for your loved ones and ensures your assets are distributed according to your wishes
• It supports the causes you care about, long after you’re gone
• It can significantly reduce your Inheritance Tax (IHT) liability

On that last point, it’s worth knowing that any proportion of your estate left to a registered charity is exempt from the standard 40% IHT rate. If your estate is only slightly above the IHT threshold, a charitable gift could prevent any tax from being due at all. And if you leave at least 10% of your net estate to charity, the IHT rate on the remainder of your estate reduces from 40% to 36% – a meaningful saving for your beneficiaries.

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3. Every will is checked by experts to ensure the effectiveness of your will, providing you with complete peace of mind.
4. The option to open an account to offer you easy updates and secure storage.