Leaving a charitable bequest in your Will makes our mission to grant the wish of every eligible child possible
By making a heartfelt gift in your Will to charity, your legacy has the power to create life-changing wishes and have lasting positive impact on critically ill children’s lives.
Bequests of any size make a big difference in the lives of children with life-threatening illness and their families.
How to include a charity in your Will
The size and nature of your gift will depend on your personal and family circumstances.
Every gift is powerful. Your solicitor can help make the choice that is right for you and your loved ones.
As a guide, the main types of charity bequests are:
- Residuary gift: After making provision for your family and loved ones, you can choose to give part of the balance of your estate to Make-A-Wish Australia.
- Percentage: You can donate a percentage of your entire estate.
- Pecuniary gift: You can nominate to give a specific dollar value.
- Specific items of value: You can give particular items, such as property, shares and life insurance funds.
- Whole estate: You can leave your entire estate to Make-A-Wish Australia.
Here is some suggested wording to use when adding a gift to Make-A-Wish Australia in your Will*:
I hereby bequeath _______ [insert details] to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Australia Ltd of Level 1, 4/12 Amsterdam St, Richmond VIC, 3121, Australia, ABN 97 006 497 632, for its general purposes, and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executors.
*It’s important to seek independent and professional advice from a reputable solicitor to make sure your Will is legal and valid.
Letting loved ones and executors know about your decision to leave a gift in your Will is an important step to ensure your wishes are carried out.
We'd also encourage you to let us know about your intended gift. This helps us to:
- Ensure we can thank you properly and keep you updated on our work.
- Invite you to events and opportunities to welcome you to the Make-A-Wish family.
Send us an email or you can also call us on 1800 032 260
Why your legacy gift matters for critically ill kids
A Will donation to Make-A-Wish Australia is a powerful, lasting contribution that helps us in our mission to grant the wish of every eligible child. With over 900 children already on a wish journey, every dollar raised helps more kids get their wish faster, which is why your support is so vital.
Research shows wishes complement a child’s medical treatment and calm, distract and empower sick kids, their families and communities at the time they need it most
Support Australia’s future in their time of need
In Australia today, the latest medical guidelines suggest more than 14,000 children have a life-threatening illness*. Thousands more are born or diagnosed with serious illnesses each year, for example:
- Approximately 2,400 babies are born with a heart condition each year (aihw.gov.au)
- More than 1,000 children and teenagers (0-19 years) are diagnosed with cancer (aihw.gov.au)
- One in 2,800 children are born with a condition that causes childhood dementia (Childhood Dementia Initiative)
*Source: Bowers AP. (2022)
Meet our legacy donors
Meet some of our gift in will legacy supporters here and learn their stories.
Frank and Helen are lifetime supporters
"We count our blessings and originally got involved because we wanted very much to give to families whose children were not healthy like ours.
Helping families of children with a life-threatening medical condition is an incredibly humbling experience. Strangers open their doors and look forward to our working a bit of 'magic' into the lives of their children"
Charmaine was inspired by a special wish
"All wishes are special, but it was one teenager's wish that affected me deeply.
Daniel, a keen surfer and American football fan who was fighting cancer at the time, wished to see a live gridiron game and surf the revered Hawaiian Banzai pipeline.
Daniel's wish left an imprint on my own life, and my heart, forever. Every time I think of Daniel, I am reminded of what Make-A-Wish can give to seriously ill children. That's why I included a gift in my will."
FAQs
To leave a gift in your Will to Make-A-Wish you or your solicitor should use the following wording when creating or revising your Will to ensure it is legally binding:
“I hereby bequeath _______ [insert details] to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Australia Ltd of Level 1, 4/12 Amsterdam St, Richmond VIC, 3121, Australia, ABN 97 006 497 632, for its general purposes, and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executors.”
A bequest and a charitable gift are terms often used interchangeably and essentially mean the same thing. A bequest is the term used in a legal context to describe a gift left in your Will for charity.
If you have any further questions on terms used on this page or in our gift in Will brochure, please feel free to get in touch with us on 1800 032 260.
If you’ve already left a gift in your Will – firstly, we’d like to say a huge thank you for being an important part of our mission to grant the wishes of critically ill children across Australia.
We'd be delighted if you could reach out to us at fundraising@makeawish.org.au or contact 1800 032 260 to let us know that you’ve included a gift in your Will to make a wish. Not only is it helpful for our future planning, but we’d love the opportunity to thank you personally and welcome you into our legacy giving community.
If you already have a Will set up, you can revise your Will via a codicil document – this is a legal document that allows you to make edits or additions to your Will. We recommend contacting your solicitor or speaking to a lawyer that specialises in estate planning to ensure any revisions are made correctly.
Ready to leave a lasting impact on critically ill children across Australia? Fill out the download brochure form and tick the ‘pledge a gift in your Will’ option and our legacy giving team will be in-touch. Or if you’d prefer to contact us directly to discuss your pledge, give us a call on 1800 032 260.
It would be so nice if everyone who donates could see the magic wishes brings to all the seriously ill children who receive them.
Grace Favelle - cancer survivor, former wish child and current Make-A-Wish ambassador
Wish kids featured on this page
⭐ Audrey, 6, retinoblastoma, 'I wish to go to the snow in my own rocket'.