How to notify RNIB when someone dies

Last updated 15 July 2026

Reviewed by the After Loss Guide editorial team · updated 15 July 2026

Researched from primary sources. See our editorial policy.

If someone close to you supported RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) – through a regular monthly gift, a fundraising event, or because sight loss had touched their life – that relationship doesn’t stop automatically when they die. Someone needs to tell the charity directly, both to close the supporter record and to stop the letters, emails, and calls that would otherwise keep arriving in their name.

This guide covers how to notify RNIB of a death, what to have ready when you call, what happens to a regular donation and any Gift Aid declaration, and how to deal with in-memory giving or a legacy gift left in the will.

For a full list of organisations to notify after a death, see what to do when someone dies.

How to notify RNIB

RNIB handles most bereavement-related contact through its Fundraising Enquiries Team, which manages regular donations, supporter records, and general fundraising questions.

To stop a regular donation, cancel mailings, or update a supporter’s record, contact the Fundraising Enquiries Team:

  • Phone: 0303 123 9999 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
  • Post: RNIB Fundraising, Grimaldi Building, 154A Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JE
  • Online: the manage your donation page confirms how to amend or cancel a regular gift

If the deceased left a gift to RNIB in their will, this is handled separately by the Legacy Income team rather than the fundraising line – see the section below on legacy gifts.

If the family wants to make a donation in the person’s memory, this is also a separate route. RNIB’s dedicated in-memory giving line is 0330 002 0051 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6pm), or you can use the remember a loved one pages online.

If you or a family member need support because sight loss was part of the person’s life, RNIB’s Helpline is available on 0303 123 9999 – the same number as the Fundraising Enquiries Team, but staffed to help with eye health and sight loss support as well as donation queries.

When you call or write to the Fundraising Enquiries Team, explain that the supporter has died and give their full name and address – a donor reference number, if you have one, speeds things up but isn’t essential. It appears on any recent donation confirmation or mailing label from the charity.

Source: RNIB – manage, change or cancel your regular donation, verified July 2026.

What documents you’ll need

RNIB’s requirements for stopping a regular donation or supporter mailings are lighter than a bank or pension provider, because a regular gift is a charitable subscription rather than a financial account holding the deceased’s own money.

DocumentNotes
Deceased's full name and addressThe minimum needed to locate and close the supporter record
Donor or supporter reference numberSpeeds up the call but not essential – found on donation confirmations or mailing labels
Your relationship to the deceasedNeeded so the Fundraising Enquiries Team can update the record appropriately
Death certificateNot published as a requirement for stopping a regular donation or mailings – this process is phone- and post-based rather than document-led

The picture is different if you’re an executor dealing with a legacy gift left to RNIB in the will – that process, run by the Legacy Income team, does require specific documentation depending on the type of gift, covered below.

What happens to the regular donation and in-memory giving

Once the Fundraising Enquiries Team has been notified, any regular donation set up by direct debit or standing order is cancelled and no further payments are collected. If a payment is taken after you’ve notified RNIB, or after the direct debit has been cancelled at the bank, you’re entitled to an immediate refund under the Direct Debit Guarantee. As a backstop, it’s worth also cancelling the instruction directly with the deceased’s bank – see our guide to what happens to direct debits when someone dies for the full process.

Any Gift Aid declaration linked to the supporter’s record ends automatically once the regular donation stops – there is nothing separate for the family to action with HMRC.

Mailings and appeals. Notifying the Fundraising Enquiries Team should stop future post, email, and phone contact addressed to the deceased. As with most large fundraising charities, it can take one or two mailing cycles for this to filter through fully across every list, so it’s worth flagging again if post continues to arrive some weeks later.

If the family wants to give in memory of the person, RNIB offers a dedicated route entirely separate from closing the supporter record. This can take several forms:

  • A one-off or ongoing donation made in their memory, by phone on 0330 002 0051 or online
  • A funeral collection, either arranged through a funeral director or gathered informally and paid in afterwards – donations by post can be sent as a cheque payable to “RNIB” to RNIB Fundraising, Grimaldi Building, 154A Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JE, along with a cover note
  • An online Tribute Fund, a personalised page where family and friends can share memories, photos, and videos, and collect donations in the person’s memory
  • In Memory envelopes, which RNIB can supply for a funeral or memorial collection via an order form on its website

Where a name and address has been supplied by a funeral director, RNIB thanks the donor directly. None of these routes require the deceased’s own supporter record to be closed first, and they can be set up at any time.

Source: RNIB – remember a loved one, RNIB – information for funeral directors, verified July 2026.

Legacy gifts left in a will

If the deceased left a gift to RNIB in their will, this is dealt with by the charity’s Legacy Income team, separate from both the Fundraising Enquiries Team and general fundraising:

  • Phone: 01733 972800
  • Email: legacies@rnib.org.uk
  • Post: RNIB, Northminster House, Northminster, Peterborough PE1 1YN
  • Contact: Daniel Pepper, Senior Legacy Income Manager, is named as the point of contact for legacy administration queries

You can also reach RNIB’s wider Legacy team – for general queries about making or updating a will that includes a gift to RNIB – on 0303 123 9999, or via the contact our Legacy team online form.

RNIB’s published legacy administration guidance asks executors and personal representatives for:

  • A copy of the will and any codicils, where the bequest is a residuary share of the estate, to confirm RNIB’s entitlement
  • Details of the estate’s assets and liabilities, where available, even if the final size of the estate isn’t yet known
  • A copy of the Estate Accounts at the finalisation of the administration, to satisfy Section 25 of the Administration of Estates Act
  • A copy of any Inheritance Tax calculations, and confirmation of whether a transferable nil-rate band is being claimed, where IHT is payable
  • A tax deduction certificate on form R185 (Estate Income), where RNIB is reclaiming income tax paid during the administration
Type of giftWhat the Legacy Income team asks for
Pecuniary gift (a fixed sum of money)Deceased's details and confirmation of the amount named in the will
Specific gift (an item, shares, or property)Details of the specific asset being gifted; RNIB has a preferential dealing arrangement with stockbroker Charles Stanley & Co for the sale of shares, and negotiated rates with named fine art auctioneers for chattels
Residuary gift (a share of what's left of the estate)Copy of the will and any codicils, schedule of assets and liabilities, and final Estate Accounts

RNIB notes that all registered charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax, and that where 10% or more of an estate is left to charity, the rate of IHT on the rest of the estate can reduce to 36%. Where a property or land forms part of the gift, RNIB asks for at least two independent estate agent valuations for probate purposes, and flags that appropriating an asset into the charity’s name before sale can help avoid an unnecessary Capital Gains Tax liability. Executors administering a more complex estate, or with questions about IHT apportionment, are encouraged to contact the Legacy Income team directly.

RNIB’s charity registration numbers are 226227 (England and Wales) and SC039316 (Scotland).

Source: RNIB – Legacy Administration Information and Guidance Sheet, RNIB – leave a gift in your will, verified July 2026.

Probate and thresholds

Stopping a regular donation or closing a supporter record does not require probate – it’s a straightforward account closure, not an estate asset with a balance to release.

A legacy gift named in the will is different: it’s administered as part of the wider probate and estate process, alongside any other named beneficiary. The executor registers the gift with the Legacy Income team using the documentation set out above, and payment follows once the estate is in a position to distribute it – typically once the Grant of Probate has been obtained and the estate’s debts and other liabilities are settled.

For general guidance on the probate process itself, see do I need probate and how long does probate take.

How long it takes

Notifying the Fundraising Enquiries Team stops a regular donation within a few working days, though it can take one or two mailing cycles for post and appeals to fully stop across every list RNIB holds.

A legacy gift runs on a different, longer timeline, governed by the wider probate process rather than the notification itself. Once the required documents are submitted to the Legacy Income team, the transfer can happen as soon as the estate is ready to make it – but this may be many months after the date of death if probate is still being administered, and longer still for a residuary gift given the extra evidence needed for assets, liabilities, and Estate Accounts.

Tips and things to watch out for

Different purposes, different teams. Regular donations and general supporter enquiries go through the Fundraising Enquiries Team (0303 123 9999), in-memory giving has its own line (0330 002 0051), and legacy gifts go to the Legacy Income team on a separate number and postal address in Peterborough – mention up front if you’re calling about a will gift, so you’re not passed between departments.

No death certificate required to stop a donation. Unlike banks and utility companies, RNIB’s process for stopping a regular gift or mailings doesn’t ask for one – don’t delay notifying them while you wait for certified copies you need elsewhere.

The main Helpline covers sight loss support, not just donations. The 0303 123 9999 number also connects to RNIB’s wider support services for anyone affected by sight loss, including counselling and benefits advice – worth knowing if the family would welcome that support too.

Expect mailings to take a little time to stop fully. Large fundraising charities often run several mailing lists in parallel. If post keeps arriving after you’ve notified RNIB, contact the Fundraising Enquiries Team again with the reference from the mailing itself.

In-memory giving is entirely optional. There’s no obligation to set up a Tribute Fund or order In Memory envelopes when you close the account – many families simply want the donation stopped, and that’s a complete outcome in itself.

A residuary legacy needs more paperwork. If you’re an executor and the will leaves RNIB a share of the estate rather than a fixed sum, the Legacy Income team will need the will, a schedule of assets and liabilities, and final Estate Accounts – get in touch early, particularly if the estate includes shares or property, where RNIB has preferential dealing arrangements that can affect timing.

Summary

To stop a regular donation or supporter mailings from RNIB, call the Fundraising Enquiries Team on 0303 123 9999 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or write to RNIB Fundraising, Grimaldi Building, 154A Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JE. No death certificate is required for this. A legacy gift named in the will is handled separately by the Legacy Income team (01733 972800, legacies@rnib.org.uk), who need details of the will, assets and liabilities, and – at the end of the administration – the Estate Accounts. Giving in memory, through a Tribute Fund or funeral collection, is optional and entirely separate from either process, and has its own dedicated line on 0330 002 0051.

For everything else involved in settling an estate, the what to do after a death hub covers each organisation and service you may need to notify. If the deceased also supported Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, the RSPB, or Alzheimer’s Society, see our guides to notifying Macmillan Cancer Support when someone dies, notifying Cancer Research UK when someone dies, notifying British Heart Foundation when someone dies, notifying the RSPB when someone dies, and notifying Alzheimer’s Society when someone dies.

Sources

For a full checklist of organisations to notify after a death, see what to do when someone dies.