Around 140 Australian charities will band together to promote the message Live On in Include a Charity Week, 8-14 September.
The campaign encourages more Australians to consider including a charity when preparing, or next updating their Will.
While an impressive 70% of Australians support one or more charities during their lifetime, in 2012, only 7.5% of the people who passed away included a charitable gift in their will.
Include a Charity is seeking to double the number of Australians aged over 60 to include a gift in their Will by 2020.
“Many Australian charities are reliant on bequests to fulfil their good work in the community, and Include a Charity Week highlights the enormous assistance these gifts can deliver,” says Leanne Warner, Include a Charity Chairperson.
Many of Australia’s most loved charities have come together for the campaign, including Barnardos, Cancer Council Australia, World Vision, Guide Dogs Australia, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, the Stroke Foundation, the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and many more.
World Vision bequestors Ron and Jeanette Schofield of NSW have been supporting children and communities in need for more than 30 years. As coordinators of a World Vision Community Group, they’ve fundraised for emergency appeals, development projects and a fistula hospital in Ethiopia. Ron and Jeanette decided to include World Vision in their Wills as a way to continue their involvement with the charity into the future.
“It’s a way that we can still help where it’s needed, and continue the work we’ve been able to do,” Jeanette says. “It’s just a continuation of what we’ve done all our lives. Giving is an ongoing thing and we don’t want it to stop if there’s some way we can keep going.”
Kids Under Cover Bequest Patron Athol Guy says, “My career mix over the decades has given me a very sharp focus on organisations setting out to care for those less fortunate in life’s early years. I love what Kids Under Cover does, and treasure my association with them. It is for this reason that I have decided to leave a bequest to Kids Under Cover in my Will.”
During Include a Charity Week, collaborative local events will take place in charity offices around the country, and a digital campaign will be launched, showcasing with a collage, the number charities under the Include a Charity banner, and the vital role they play in communities all over Australia.
“Leaving a lasting legacy is really wonderful way to be remembered,” said Leanne Warner.
Leaving a gift to your favourite charity can be done through consultation with your solicitor or financial advisor. For more information about Include a Charity, a full list of member charities and for more on how to leave a bequest, please visit www.includeacharity.com.au
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