Charity designation
A lot already goes to charity. How well researched is the giving?
Americans left $62 billion to charity in their wills in 2025. Most of those gifts were designated years earlier, to whichever charity came to mind. MyLastWill helps you designate your gift so it does the most good, and keeps doing good after you're gone.
$62B
was left to charity through bequests in 2025, up about 20% in one year.
Source: Giving USA 2026
2%
of donors gave based on how well a charity performed compared with others. Only 35% did any research before giving.
Source: Hope Consulting, Money for Good (2010)
60×
more good per dollar from the best of 108 health programs than from the typical one.
Source: Toby Ord, The Moral Imperative toward Cost-Effectiveness
Where charitable bequests go wrong
Gifts in wills are among the largest gifts people ever make, yet they usually get the least thought. Common problems:
- Chosen once, never revisited. A will is often signed decades before it takes effect. By then the charity may have changed its focus, merged or closed.
- Familiar beats effective. Most people give to the charity they know best, not the one that does the most with each dollar. Similar programs can differ in results many times over.
- Vague or wrong names. Many charities have similar names. Without the legal name, city and tax ID, a gift can be delayed or go to the wrong organization.
- No backup plan. If a named charity no longer exists and the will doesn't say what happens next, the gift can be delayed or end up in court.
- Retirement accounts left out. IRAs and 401(k)s pass by beneficiary form, not by will, and they're often the best assets to leave to charity, because charities pay no income tax on them and most heirs do. How to leave an IRA to charity.
How MyLastWill helps
Charity designations, done carefully
Every plan you make with MyLastWill designates your gift with the same care a good estate attorney would, and adds research on where it does the most good.
Cause first, then charity
Choose the causes you care about and set how much each receives with simple sliders. You'll see the dollars as you go.
Recommended
Research-guided gifts that stay current
Your will names the purpose. Your executor chooses effective charities working on it when the gift is made, guided by research published at that time, so your gift doesn't go stale.
Precise legal designations
Name specific charities by legal name, city and state, and tax ID (EIN), so there's no doubt who should receive your gift.
A built-in backup
If a named charity no longer exists or can't accept the gift, your executor gives it to the qualifying charity whose purposes come closest, so the gift doesn't fail.
Shares that keep family first
Give a percentage rather than a fixed sum, so your family's share stays in proportion as your estate grows or shrinks. Give 1% or 100%; it's your choice.
Accounts, not just wills
Get the exact wording for IRA, 401(k), life insurance and bank beneficiary forms, plus a letter of wishes that explains your hopes to your executor.
A typical bequest compared with a MyLastWill designation
| Typical bequest | MyLastWill | |
|---|---|---|
| How the charity is chosen | The one that comes to mind | By cause, guided by evidence on impact per dollar |
| When it's chosen | Once, often decades before death | Causes now; charities can be chosen with current research when the gift is made |
| How it's written | A name, sometimes informal | Legal name, city and state, and tax ID, or a clear charitable purpose |
| If the charity closes or merges | The gift can be delayed or end up in court | A backup clause sends it to the closest qualifying charity |
| Retirement accounts | Often left out | Beneficiary form wording included |
| Cost | Attorney fees or a paid will service | Free |
The research behind it
MyLastWill is created by Systemic Altruism Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We compare where an extra dollar does the most good using scale, neglectedness, evidence, cost-effectiveness and room for more funding, and we publish our reasoning. Charities can never pay to be recommended. Read our method.
Our cause research also draws on Humanity's Checklist, a companion project from Systemic Altruism Foundation that lays out the problems humanity most needs to solve. When you make a research-guided gift, your will asks your executor to consider our published research at the time of your death, so your gift follows the best evidence available then, not just what was known when you signed.
Received an inheritance, or lost someone to an illness? See giving from an inheritance, including how to fund research on a disease in a loved one's memory.
Your family comes first. You decide whether to give anything at all, and how much. MyLastWill never pressures anyone to give, and you can change your plan any time.
Common questions
What is a charity designation?
Naming a charity to receive part of your estate. In a will it's called a charitable bequest. On a retirement account, life insurance policy or bank account, you name the charity on the account's beneficiary form, which passes outside your will.
How do I choose the best charity for my will?
Start with the cause you care about, then look for organizations with strong evidence that their work succeeds, honest reporting, and room to use more money. If you'd rather not pick today, a research-guided gift lets your executor choose effective charities working on your cause when the gift is made.
What happens if the charity I name no longer exists?
Wills made with MyLastWill include a backup clause: if a named charity doesn't exist, isn't a qualified charity, or can't accept the gift, your executor gives it to the qualifying charity whose purposes come closest. Without a clause like this, the gift can be delayed or a court may have to decide.
Do I need the charity's tax ID (EIN)?
It isn't required, but it removes any doubt about which organization you mean, since many charities have similar names. Our builder has a place for the legal name, city and state, and EIN.
Can I name a charity as beneficiary of my IRA or 401(k)?
Yes, on the account's beneficiary form. It's often the most tax-efficient way to give, because a charity pays no income tax on the money while most heirs do. Our builder gives you the exact wording for each account.
Who is behind MyLastWill?
MyLastWill is created by Systemic Altruism Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It's free, and charities can never pay to be recommended.
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