Core Knowledge
Our new modular e-learning system is designed for people who prefer to study at their own pace and in their own time.
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Written e-learning materials
One or more 20-minute videos
Multiple choice test & written assignment
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Accruals for Legacy Income
This course will look into the accounting rules in relation to a charity’s income from legacies. A charity that receives any income from legacies will need to ensure it complies with strict accounting principles and requirements.
Non-Members £100
An Introduction to the Probate Process
It is important for legacy officers to become familiar with and gain an understanding of the legal process involved in obtaining a Grant and the different types. This course will provide an overview of the process of administering an estate, including: the parties responsible for the estate administration and the different types of legacies; the application for grant and the different types of grant; and the distribution of the estate process.
Non-Members £100
Breaking Trusts
The opportunity to break a trust will come up relatively rarely, but when it does it should be seized. This course covers all aspects of breaking trusts, including the advantages and disadvantages of breaking trusts, how to do so and possible disputes.
Non-Members £100
Capital Gains Tax
Calculating whether the correct amount of capital gains tax has been paid during estate administration can be a challenge for legacy administration officers. This course will focus on: the rules relating to Capital Gains Tax and when it is charged; the exemptions from Capital Gains Tax; how Capital Gains Tax is applied to estates in administration; and the rules relating to Capital Gains Tax in relation to trusts.
Non-Members £100
Delegated Authorities
Many of the actions that a legacy officer undertakes every day are in fact powers that properly belong to the Trustees of the Charity. In order to facilitate efficient working, and to prevent every decision from having to be referred back to Trustees, many of these powers will be delegated to legacy officers. This course will tell you which powers can and cannot be delegated, and how to operate effectively while remaining compliant with the charities act.
Non-Members £100
Developing a Legacy Fundraising Strategy
The Legacy Administration Team is an invaluable source of knowledge and experience available to your Charity’s fundraising and legacy marketing teams. Working collaboratively by sharing past and current legacy income analysis will help shape the ongoing development of the Charity’s legacy marketing strategy. This course will focus on how to create an effective legacy fundraising strategy. It will provide a detailed account of each stage of the process and the key considerations that need to be taken into account when preparing the legacy fundraising message.
Non-Members £80
Ex Gratia Payments
An ex-gratia payment is an agreement to a payment being made from a sense of moral obligation rather than because of any legal requirement. This course covers: when the concept of ex gratia payment originated; what an ex gratia payment is and when one can be made; the powers under section 106 of the Charities Act 2011; the procedure for applying for consent to make an ex-gratia payment; and the potential ex-gratia type scenarios that might arise.
Non-Members £100
Forecasting Legacy Income
Legacy income is, for many charities, a vital income stream and forecasting helps the charity manage the following; Cashflow, Future income, Expectations. This course will cover the importance of forecasting for your charity and how best to forecast legacy income.
Non-Members £80
Free Will Schemes
Initially pioneered by Will Aid and adopted by the two major cancer charities in 1990s, free will services (FWS) are now a mainstay of charity legacy fundraising in the UK. The term ‘free will’ is an umbrella term for a wide variety of partnerships and activities, from discounted wills, donations in lieu of fees, charity paid for wills, or pro-bono wills that are completely free to the charity and donor. At the root of all free will services, the consumer is offered the opportunity to write or update their Will, with the hope that they will leave a gift to a charity in return. This training course aims to explain the various available Free Will Service models and to help you evaluate whether this could be part of your legacy fundraising strategy.
Non-Members £80
Identifying and Dealing with Pre-Death Fraud
This course focuses on fraud that is committed pre-death – though the fraud itself will often only come to light after a person has died. It sets out some of the more common circumstances in which a fraudulent act might occur before a person dies, what the legal tests / issues are in relation to those circumstances, and what warning signs you can look out for. It also covers what initial steps you can take should you suspect that there has been a fraud committed somewhere along the line.
Non-Members £100
Income Tax and the Administration of Estates
This course will cover: Income Tax in Residuary Estates, which will provide an overview of the Income Tax rules relating to estates in administration. It will also explain the Tax liabilities of beneficiaries. Income Tax and the Administration of Trusts, which will explain what the Tax rules are in relation to different types of trusts, and what the Tax rules are where a beneficiary has a life interest in the trust fund.
Non-Members £100
Inheritance Tax
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is payable on the value of a person’s estate when they die. It used to be known as Capital Transfer Tax and, more colloquially, as death duty. It is important to note that the value of an estate is not necessarily what the estate was worth “on paper” at the time of death. This course will give you a thorough grounding in the law relating to Inheritance Tax, including Nil Rate Bands, exemptions and deeds of variation.
Non-Members £100
Instructing Solicitors – A Practical Guide
This course will consider various scenarios which may arise when instructing solicitors are to advise a charity and to ensure the instructions are concise, accurate and request what is required. We will cover: when it is appropriate for a charity to instruct a solicitor; the things that the charity needs to watch out for when instructing a solicitor; what information the letter of instruction needs to contain, including the type of supporting evidence to be provided; and the different types of professional advice available to the charity.
Non-Members £80
International and Cross-Border Legacies
Gifts to charities of foreign assets that are based in overseas jurisdictions, or from donors who are not UK domiciled, can cause particular estate administration challenges - and are becoming more common. This course will provide an overview of the principles and issues relating to international and cross-border legacies. It will also explain what steps charities can take to resolve these issues.
Non-Members £100
Legacies and the Code of Fundraising Practice
The Code of Fundraising Practice (‘The Code’) has been in existence in one form or another since the turn of the millennium, developed initially by the fundraising community itself as a means of self-regulation and promoting good fundraising practice. This course will help ensure you understand The Code and how to implement this best practice at your charity.
Non-Members £80
Life Interest Trusts Holding Real Property
A Life Interest Trust holding only real property is a fixed interest trust where a named beneficiary has the right to occupy a property and, unless limited to a right to occupy only, the life tenant will also be entitled to any income generated from any real property in the Life Interest Trust. This course will cover: Introduction to Life Interest Trusts holding real propert; Responsibilities of the trustees; Responsibilities of the life tenant; Trustees’ powers in respect of the Life Interest Trusts; IHT on cessation (when the trust ends).
Non-Members £100
Managing a Legacy Team
Managing a legacy team is a great privilege but can of course have its challenges. The aim of this course is to highlight some of the key considerations and to suggest some of the options available. This course will explain: how to manage a legacy team effectively; what the responsibilities of legacy managers are; how to build relationships with key teams of the charity; and what to consider when structuring the team and allocating cases.
Non-Members £80
Managing Financial Life Interests
This course will consider: what financial life interests are; the trustees’ duties in relation to managing these financial life interests; the trustees’ duties where there is a life tenant and a remainderman; and what information the beneficiaries are entitled to have.
Non-Members £100
Proprietary Estoppel
Estoppel is a legal principle designed to prevent a person from asserting something contrary to what they have previously implied or stated. This includes proprietary estoppel, which concerns rights relating to land or property. This course will cover: 1) what a proprietary estoppel claim is and its main elements; 2) the factors that the Court will consider in relation to a proprietary estoppel claim; and 3) two recent cases involving proprietary estoppel claims.
Non-Members £100
The Wills Act 1837
The Wills Act 1837 confirms the power of every adult to dispose of their real and personal property by will on their death. It is vitally important that you have a good understanding of this Act when dealing with legacy matters. This course provides details of each Section of the Act that must be followed whenever a will is drafted.
Non-Members £80
Undue Influence
The course will explain: what undue influence is and when it originated; what evidence is required in a claim for undue influence; and the issue of costs in relation to an undue influence claim. The validity of a will can be challenged by asserting that undue influence was exerted over a Testator (the person making the will) by a person who has derived some financial or other benefit from the Testator’s will.
Non-Members £100
Want of Knowledge and Approval
This course will explain the requirement of knowledge and approval when making and executing a Will, and what can be done when the testator did not know and approve of the contents of their Will. This will be done through practical examples within a charity legacy setting.
Non-Members £100
Wills: Formalities, Due Execution and Testamentary Capacity
This is a two-part course that covers the formalities and due execution which are required for a Will to be valid, as well as some of the key elements surrounding mental capacity which are required for a Will to be valid. Both parts of the course include reference to interesting and relevant case law.
Non-Members £100