At Secours Catholique – Caritas France, a third of the resources come from legacies. This year, it will represent 45 million euros against 35 million ten years ago, to carry out missions in France and internationally. For some organizations, the share of bequests and life insurance even exceeds half of the income.
The importance assumed by this windfall has prompted most of them to set up dedicated services, and even an awareness-raising program, which begins with increasing advertising campaigns in the media.
“Bequests have always been essential for Secours Catholique, explains Marie-Carmen Carles, generosity and philanthropy director of the organization. We note a slight increase in the number of testators, while we know that the number of donors is decreasing. Like us, the major associations began to raise awareness among the general public in the early 2000s, to say that a bequest is not complicated, even if you have to go through a notary. »
Delicate subject
You also need to know how to talk about this delicate subject, as in the current Secours Catholique campaign entitled “On earth as it is in heaven”. For Marie-Carmen Carles, it is legitimate for a Catholic movement to speak of death, showing that one can continue to do good after one’s death. This approach is that of Secours Catholique teams with people who initiate the process of giving them all or part of their estate.
The “legacy” course is assumed by two teams. The first deals with direct relations with the testators. She liaises with the association’s lawyers and also with volunteers who can accompany them, the vast majority of testators being isolated people without heirs. The second takes care of the realization of the bequest after the death.
“As for people who have expressed their universal legacy to Secours Catholique, we recontact them regularly and we go to see them, completed Marie-Carmen Carles. Once they have made a decision about the future of their property after their death, they are more serene. We can also agree with them to have masses said in their memory. »
But the people who reveal their choice are very much in the minority in the 200 files processed per year. In 9 cases out of 10, Secours Catholique does not know the testators in advance! They made their decision on their own and settled everything with their notary. He is the one who warns the teams. Some files may take several years to be finalized, even if in the end almost all of the legacies will be accepted by the association.
These deferred donations raise the question of the evaluation of the expected income. Like other organizations, Secours Catholique bases itself on the legacies of the previous year to estimate the resources for the coming year.
Former volunteers
“When it comes to real estate, it is sold to be put into the common pot of our resources, details Marie-Carmen Carles. It would become a burden if we decided to keep them and rent them out. We also see an increase in legacies from life insurance, ie 15 million euros this year. The latter are often shared bequests, one part to the family, another to the association that the testator has supported all his life. » And then there are also bequests from current accounts, stock portfolios or movable property.
When Camille Malekzadeh made his decision two years ago for his succession in favor of Secours Catholique, it was because of his training links with religious congregations. “Of Iranian origin, I have no family in France, she says calmly at her home in Fontenay-sous-Bois (Val-de-Marne). For my succession, I spontaneously contacted Secours Catholique. Tenant, I don’t have a lot of valuables (a current account and furniture), but I want it to be able to help the poorest, whether for their health or to have a roof over their heads. Secours Catholique validated my universal legacy, which I confirmed in my will at the notary’s. I am in regular contact with someone in the team. I am calmer to have created this link with her. »
Organizations regularly remind that every donation, however small, is important. The same goes for legacies. At Secours Catholique, these range from a few thousand euros to more than one million euros. Some legatees are former volunteers from Secours Catholique, who thus continue their action.