Leave a Gift in Your Will

A bequest, also referred to as a gift in a Will or a legacy, is a charitable donation specified in a Will or other estate plan. It is a meaningful way to leave a lasting impact that reflects your values and benefits generations to come.   

A Will is a legal document that details the distribution of a person’s estate. A bequest, also referred to as a gift in a Will, is a specific gift or donation mentioned within a Will.  

Having an up-to-date Will is the only way to ensure your wishes are honoured. Without one, your estate is distributed according to a legal formula which may not reflect your values or support the people and causes you care about most.  

Writing a Will is one of the most significant decisions you will make.  

It is important to take your time, and we encourage you to have conversations about your wishes with your loved ones. We recommend consulting a solicitor, who can provide an estimate of cost and assist in the Will writing process.  

Our partner solicitors participating in the GoodWILL Project are pleased to provide Will-writing services to individuals who have a simple Will and wish to include a gift to UNICEF Australia in their Will. These services are available through both in-person consultations and via online appointments. Click here to find a solicitor near you and book an appointment.  

There are also online Will writing options available. We have partnered with two Online Will Writing providers, Gathered Here and Safewill. We encourage you to consider which option best suits your particular needs.  

Gathered Here aims to make the Will-writing process as easy as possible. In less than 10 minutes, you can write your Will for free. Click here to write your Will with Gathered Here.  

Safewill offers a simple and secure way to write or update a legally binding Will. UNICEF supporters can access the online Will writing service for $80 (usually $160). Click here to write your Will with Safewill. 

Here are three common ways supporters choose to leave a gift to us in their Will, once provisions have been made for loved ones:  

• Residuary gift – this is the most effective way to leave a gift in your Will to UNICEF Australia. This is the remainder of your estate after taking care of family and friends. It’s an effective way to make a lasting impact as it adjusts for inflation, maintaining its value over time.   
• Percentage gift – this involves leaving a nominated portion or fixed percentage of your estate to UNICEF. Like residuary gifts, percentage gifts also keep up with inflation.  
• Pecuniary gift – This is a specific amount of money designated for UNICEF Australia.  

Your Will records your wishes at a particular point in time. It is advisable to regularly review your Will as your circumstances change, to accurately reflect your current wishes.  

If your existing Will still reflects most of your wishes, and you simply want to make some additions or minor changes, your solicitor can help you create a Codicil. It is important to consult your solicitor to ensure the original Will is not affected.  

You don’t have to be wealthy to make a Will. Whoever you are, whatever your situation, even with a small gift, you can make an enormous and lasting difference in the lives of children. 

Leaving a gift to a specific type of work or location might mean that we cannot fulfil your wishes if we are no longer doing that work or in a particular area. Keeping your gift for general purposes enables UNICEF to use it where the need is greatest at the time. 

This is entirely up to you. However, we’re very keen to show our gratitude to you and keep you informed about our work with children around the world.

Of course. All your information is strictly confidential. Any information supplied to UNICEF Australia is protected by our Privacy Policy.