Leave a Legacy Gift

The kindness and generosity of you leaving a legacy to the ISPCA is a life-changing often life-saving gift to the hundreds of animals that we rescue, rehabilitate and rehome throughout Ireland each year, now, and well into the future. 

To get started, all you need to do is spend some time making a list of everything that you own as well as estimating the value of each asset or belonging. Then reflect and make a list of those you need to take care of or would like to leave a gift to. Please don’t forget to consider the care of your beloved pet(s)! And, if family or friends are unable to care for your pet, you can join our HomeForever programme and we will care for and find loving new homes for them.  

It’s that simple – you are now ready to use our Free Online Will Writing service or make an appointment to see a solicitor. You can access our Free Online Will Writing service by clicking on the button below – you’ll also find lots of useful information and guides.

The different types of legacy gifts explained

Pecuniary Gift – this is a gift of a specific amount of money in your Will. Any gift amount, small or large, is extremely valuable in helping to ensure we can continue to build a better future for neglected and cruelly treated animals.

Residuary Gift – this is what is remaining of the assets in your estate once you have looked after your family and loved ones, fulfilled all promises to other beneficiaries and any debts are paid.  By generously leaving any residual in your estate to the ISPCA, you are helping provide vital funds to support our work.

Specific Item – this is a gift of a specific item and can be stocks, shares, property, jewellery or artwork, proceeds of a life insurance policy or any other item of value that can be used to help raise funds for the ISPCA.

Codicil to a Will – this is an addition to an existing Will. If you have already made your Will and now decide that you would like to leave a gift to the ISPCA, you can make a codicil or an addition to your original will. This can be done using our Free Online Will Writing service or by a solicitor. Like a Will, it is also signed with a witness present before being added as a permanent part of your Will.

What your legacy gift can do

Once all personal decisions have been made, if you do decide to leave a legacy gift to the ISPCA in your Will, whether large or small, your generous gift will enable us to continue to help save and protect the welfare of animals in the years to come.

• A gift of €500 will provide for urgent life-saving emergency veterinary care to treat an injured animal suffering from neglect or abuse and now in our care.
• A gift of €4,000 would fully kit out and equip a cattery facility including access to a secure external recreation and exercise area. 
• A gift of €7,000 would help to build an all-weather secure dog exercise area 
• A gift of €10,000 would help develop an enclosed sand arena to safely rehabilitate, train and exercise rescued horses, ponies and donkeys.
• A gift of €40,000 would fund our National Animal Cruelty Helpline for one year. Each year our Helpline receives thousands of calls from concerned members of the public who then mobilise our Inspectorate Team to rescue hundreds of helpless animals from unspeakable neglect, abuse and cruelty. 
• A gift of €50,000 would help the ISPCA appoint a new Animal Welfare Inspector to cover one to two new counties for a year to include wages, a vehicle, uniform, phone, computer etc. We currently have a team of nine inspectors. With more inspectors we will be able to respond more quickly, saving and rescuing even more animals throughout Ireland.

• A gift of €100,000 would fund a new kennel block at one of our Animal Rescue Centres allowing us to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome hundreds more dogs for decades to come. We often have to use private boarding kennels when our centres are full to capacity. Investment in building new facilities and maintaining existing ones – kennels, stables, catteries, vet and grooming accommodation – is an ongoing requirement.

Legacy gifts received by the ISPCA

Odhrán – A Heart Warming Legacy

Odhrán’s was one of five beautiful puppies born into ISPCA care. Odhrán was incredibly slow to eat and fought to keep food down. Following urgent assessments and x-rays, our vet discovered a sac-like pouch on his oesophagus where his food was going when he tried to eat. Caused by an abnormality in his heart called Persistent Right Aortic Arch, Odhrán needed a Cardiac Specialist in UCD. Thanks to generous donations from our amazing supporters we were able to save his life and find him a loving new home.

Donegal Animal Rehabilitation Centre

Our newest state of the art Animal Rescue Centre (the ARC!) was in fact designed, built and commissioned thanks to a number of legacy gifts. Officially opened in 2018, it includes a veterinary room, cattery, 3 external dog runs, a 6 foot deep pool for marine life or water fowl, and a large paddock and hay barn. In addition to requiring additional kennel accommodation, currently, the centre has no facilities for volunteers, training or visitors seeking to adopt – all of which would greatly benefit the centre and the local community.

Equine Rescue Centre – Mallow

Our Equine Rescue Centre in Mallow was opened in 2007 and is dedicated to the late Victor Dowling, a veterinary surgeon, animal lover and dedicated ISPCA supporter who kindly remembered us in his Will. The result is a centre that accommodates all animals rescued in the south of the country – here they are treated and cared for, rehabilitated and responsibly rehomed. In recent years, additional stables have been added including isolation units. Funding is required for additional dog kennels and a cattery as well as a waste treatment facility.

We’d love to hear from you

If you do decide to include a legacy gift to the ISPCA in your Will, we’d love to hear from you. Income from legacies is a vital part of our funding and knowing you have left a legacy gift to us (you don’t have to share the amount) will help us plan our future. It will also mean we can answer any questions you may have in relation to your legacy in the strictest confidence with your privacy of utmost importance. We would also love to keep you up to date on our work. Please get in touch with Lylah on (087) 3572440 or email us at ISPCA-Friends@ispca.ie.

Our Memory Garden

Our  ISPCA Memory Garden in the beautiful surroundings of our National Animal Centre is an enclosed woodland space of quiet reflection. It’s our way of remembering with gratitude the generosity and kindness of all those who have left a legacy in their will to help the ISPCA continue to give animals a second chance in years to come.

Our Heartfelt Thanks

If you have kindly decided to leave us a legacy gift, then on behalf of the animals whose future lives you will change and save, a heartfelt thank you for your kindness and generosity.