Rune Lindohf is unmarried and has no children of his own. Some time ago, he started thinking about what would happen to his assets the day he went away – and he decided that his nieces and nephews would inherit.
Then he received a nightmare message.
I fell ill with cancer. Luckily, I received excellent care and then a year later I was declared healthy. It triggered something in me, it became clear that I wanted to give a part to the Cancer Foundation, as thanks for the care I got, he explains.
At the same time, I felt that I wanted to give to something that is important to me, namely the Rainbow Fund. It is obvious to support them.
Large increase
So Rune Lindohf wrote in his will that the Cancer Foundation and the Rainbow Fund would receive equal shares of half of his estate.
The rest goes to the kids.
Rune Lindohf is far from the only one who wants to support organizations with gifts. In 2024, the total giving amounted to 12.2 billion, which is an increase of six percent compared to the previous year. The testamentary gifts increased by as much as 35 percent to 2.5 billion. This is shown by the industry organization Giva Sverige's compilation.
You should keep in mind that individual wills drive up the figure. We have seen a steady increase and it holds, says Charlotte Rydh, secretary general of Giva Sverige.
"Choose yourself"
Greater wealth among our elderly is the explanation for the increase. From the general public, giving has never been higher than now.
In the generation that is 80 to 100 years old, there is a lot of money, says Rydh.
Rune Lindohf believes that the more individualized society plays a role in the more generous giving.
One probably wants to choose oneself over one's money, he says.
Totally, 12.2 billion kronor was collected in 2024, which is an increase of 6 percent compared to 2023.
The testamentary gifts amounted to 2.5 billion (an increase of 35%) and accounted for 21 percent of the total giving.
The average gift amount per donor (the general public) was 1,088 kronor.
Source: Giva Sverige
Top 5: The organizations that collected the most in 2024:
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The Cancer Foundation (982 million kronor)
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Doctors Without Borders (705 million kronor)
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Unicef (696 million kronor)
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The Heart-Lung Foundation (613 million kronor)
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UNHCR Sweden (570 million kronor)
Top 5: Organizations that collected the most through wills in 2024
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The Swedish Sea Rescue Society
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The Cancer Foundation
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The Heart-Lung Foundation
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Doctors Without Borders
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The Children's Cancer Foundation
Source: Giva Sverige
