Executor – do I need to notify all charities about stopped direct debits?

DandelionBlue

I’m helping administer a relative’s estate (England) and would appreciate some guidance.
The deceased had a number of regular charitable donations set up by standing order and direct debit. We’ve informed the banks, the accounts are frozen, and payments have stopped.
There’s a valid will in place and no mention of continuing these donations.
My question is:
As executor, do I need to contact each charity individually to notify them of the death, or is stopping the payments via the bank sufficient?
I’m conscious of doing things properly but also trying to keep the admin proportionate.
Thanks in advance.

Keep_pedalling

You don’t need to notify them.

Brie

You don't need to notify them but doing so will hopefully stop them chasing the deceased for missed payments. Ongoing post in the deceased name could bother those receiving the letters.

Jowwie

I simply emailed all charities. You need to ask them to remove the deceased from their mailing lists anyway. They had no issue, although some mailing list changes were not immediately effective.

Mutton_Geoff

Charities can be ruthless. Some have a department that reviews all wills published to see if they were beneficiaries and were paid correctly by the executors.

I was executor for a friend who left money to several charities. I made a small error in calculating/rounding the exact % he donated to one charity meaning they received about £50 less in their c £22,000 legacy. They were very quick to have checked his will, spotted my error and promptly chased me for the remainder whilst I was still grieving myself.

la531983

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81904248#Comment_81904248

Missed payments to a charity?

Brie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81904856#Comment_81904856

If a DD suddenly stops for anything the receiving organisation will have this flagged and it will prompt an automated letter to say "Hey you didn't pay us in Feb!". Your credit cards do this and lots of charities will too. They don't know if the individual has died or simply closed a bank account. By notifying the charity (or anyone else for that matter) the automated letters should stop and something more personalised may be received or correspondence may stop completely.

Savvy_Sue

You don't have to tell them, but small charities will appreciate it. I've attended funerals of long-standing supporters on behalf of the charity I used to work for: they were important to us.