Low-profile charities may be losing out on legacies because of the comparative ease of recalling larger charities' names.

Many charitable bequests are ambiguous in their wording and this causes problems for executors.

'Cancer research' and 'blind dogs', for example, are understandable but inaccurate descriptions.These blanket terms for charities may cause confusion but they also underline the difficulties facing low-profile charities in getting their names specified in a will.

A testator may want to leave a bequest to 'cancer research' but may not realise the number of charities which might benefit from such a bequest.Similarly, a supporter of the services may leave a bequest to one of the large service charities purely because the name comes to mind.

In fact, the supporter may prefer his or her money to be used for some specific purpose.The difficulty facing a low-profile ex-services charity, such as Haig Homes, is getting its name known and specified in a will.

The charity does not have 'friends' or 'members' who can be directly targeted for a legacy appeal and, without expensive direct mailing lists, it is unlikely to be able to build up much needed individual support.At a time when many of the strongest supporters of ex-services charities - those who perhaps lived through the War years - are making or changing their wills, Haig Homes is particularly aware of the need to be accurately described.

Haig Homes is often confused with the Royal British Legion or the Earl Haig Fund.Confusion or similarity between two or more charities can occasionally work advantageously.

The strong 'seasonal' branding of 'poppies', for example, may make the person on the street more inclined to make charitable donations to any charity involved with the services.Most services charities see an increase in donations coinciding with Remembrance Sunday.

But this can highlight the necessity for the donor, or more specifically the testator, to make the name of the charity perfectly clear.Strategic expenditure on advertising in the appropriate journals is expensive for charities on low fund-raising budgets.

The remaining route for getting a name specified for charities is still within the solicitors' office.

Testators who want to leave money to 'the services' could perhaps analyse their exact wishes further - services, ex-services, housing, mental welfare or employment opportunity?It is important for solicitors to identify their clients' charitable objectives correctly and provide clients with information about various charities which may be superficially similar.

This enables clients to identify the charity which best reflects their intentions.

In the case of Haig Homes the money is used specifically to provide and maintain houses for ex-services families who otherwise may well be homeless.