The gift of a lifetime Your guide to Wills and bequests 1
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What will you pass on? We live our lives guided by the values that are important to us. Some of us invest our time and resources into building our communities. For some people, it s all about family. Some are committed to social justice and spend their lives striving for fairness and equality. The things we care about don t stop when we do. This booklet is a guide to passing on the things that matter, so that our values are represented long after we re gone. Your Will is one of the most important documents you will ever sign. It is the only way to ensure your possessions and assets go to the people and causes you care about most. Including a gift to Australian Red Cross in your Will is a great way to positively impact the future without taking away from today. We believe that everyone deserves a chance at a happy and healthy life; that our shared humanity is more important than our differences, and that people going through crisis should be given the support they need to recover. If you believe this too, I hope you ll consider leaving a gift in your Will to Red Cross, and shaping a world where these principles are alive and strong. Gifts provided by generous Australians mean that Red Cross will continue to be there, providing compassion and care for people in Australia and overseas for generations to come. Hope. Courage. Fortitude. Second chances. Community. Humanity. Will you pass it on? Judy Slatyer Chief Executive Officer Australian Red Cross redcross.org.au/bequests bequests@redcross.org.au 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) 3
Contents 05 Our story 06 How we help and what your gift could achieve 08 Meet the people you could support 10 Six good reasons to have a valid Will 11 Why a gift to Red Cross is important 12 Bob s story 14 How to leave a gift to Red Cross 16 Recommended wording for your Will 18 Our promise to you 4
Ou r story The Red Cross story started with one man on a battlefield and grew to involve millions of women, men and children across the world. When Swiss man Henry Dunant witnessed the 1859 Battle of Solferino in Italy, he was horrified by the sight of 40,000 people left dead or dying. He organised local people to treat the soldiers wounds, feed and comfort them, regardless of which side they were on. Dunant was inspired to form an international society which became Red Cross and pointed the way to the Geneva Conventions. Australian Red Cross was formed in 1914 by a group of women determined to provide humanitarian relief at the outbreak of another conflict the First World War. For over a century, people in Australia have found support and solace in Red Cross during emergencies, in personal crises, and through ongoing hardship. 5
6 By inc luding Red Cross i n you r Will, you ca n he l p to writ e the n ext chapt e r of ou r story. Will you joi n us? How we help and what your gift could achieve Red Cross stands for care in crisis and commitment when others turn away. Our services are diverse and often look different from place to place, but they have one thing in common: they re about supporting people as they overcome personal hardship or disasters. Here s a snapshot of what we do and what your gift could contribute to.
Emergency services in Australia and overseas Our emergency programs help people to prepare long before emergencies strike, so they ll be more resilient in the face of a disaster. We re also there in the immediate aftermath of an emergency, providing aid and psychological support; and we stick around for the long recovery process. Community services Here in Australia we work together with communities to deliver the services they need most. We believe everyone should be included in society and have a chance at a safe and healthy life, so we work with people facing homelessness, social isolation, mental illness and other personal challenges. Migrant support We support refugees, people seeking asylum, immigration detainees, trafficked people, and others impacted by migration. We ve found that these are some of the most vulnerable people in Australia, and we believe in upholding their health and dignity. Work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples We partner with Indigenous Australian families and communities as they determine and lead their own solutions to achieve positive change. We don t compete with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisations, but aim to fill in the gaps and provide support where the community invites us to do so. International aid We re there for people in the Asia-Pacific region during emergencies, and sometimes we get involved in major disasters further afield such as the crisis in Syria. We also support communities in our region to improve health and avoid illness, largely through water and sanitation programs. Protecting people in war The idea of international humanitarian law is simple: even wars have laws. Along with other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world, Australian Red Cross builds knowledge, understanding and respect for these life-saving laws. redcross.org.au/bequests bequests@redcross.org.au 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) 7
Get to know the ways we he lp You can help us be there for people who need help. A gift in your Will could help a family into a safe home, get a child back to school or bring peace of mind to an older person living alone. Your support today has the potential to make a profound difference to the lives of many people. Children and families We all want children to have a great start in life, but for some families hard times can make that more difficult. Families can change their lives with the help of people like you. Your support can provide mentoring for young parents to complete their studies and qualifications. It can run budgeting and nutrition workshops, find a safe home or even set up a social enterprise. I m a young mum Red Cross has given me the opportunity to feel good about my own parenting. They ve made me feel like I can do anything even with small children Young mum. *Name changed to protect the privacy of the child. 8
Women and communities Clean, safe water can keep a child in school. How? A convenient water point in an isolated village means children and women don t have to spend hours carting water each day. Children don t miss school, women gain time to build small businesses and the whole family becomes wealthier and healthier. Clean water powerfully changes lives in countries like Kiribati, the Philippines and Timor-Leste. It means women no longer have to walk for hours with heavy containers. Instead, they can earn a living for their family. It means children can go to school. Aid worker. Older people Each morning thousands of people living on their own look forward to a phone call with a volunteer. It just one way Red Cross reaches out to Australians who feel left out or isolated, especially older people. With your support we connect people to their communities through daily phone calls, we visit others or give lifts to medical appointments. Imagine how this makes life happier. redcross.org.au/bequests bequests@redcross.org.au 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) 9
Six good reasons to have a va lid Will Let s admit it making a Will doesn t exactly sound like fun. But despite the paperwork, it can actually be a lifeaffirming process. You ll be laying out your legacy and choosing what you d like to pass on to the next generation. Here are some good reasons to start today. 10
01 02 03 A Will reflects who and what is important to you your loved ones, family, friends, causes and charities. It is the only way to ensure your possessions and assets go to the people and causes you care about most. If you don t make a Will, the law will dictate how your estate is distributed. This can sometimes result in important people being left out. Having a Will also enables you to make important decisions such as appointing guardians of your children, and choosing your executors and trustees. You could also make your wishes for your funeral known within your Will. 04 05 06 Making a Will represents an important opportunity to discuss and review your legal and financial affairs with qualified professionals. A Will can help avoid a costly, lengthy and stressful legal process for relatives and loved ones. Settling an estate without a Will can be a complicated and drawn-out exercise. Your Will should mirror important milestones throughout your life, such as buying property, relationships, marriage, children and retirement. Why a gift to Red Cross is important We hope that when you create or update your Will, you will consider including a gift to Red Cross. This is why: 1. Up to 20% of our funds donated by individual members of the public come from bequests. We depend on this vital source of income to run our programs in Australia and overseas. 2. Knowing that we can depend on future income from bequests gives us financial security. We can plan ahead for our programs, knowing that we ll have the donations we need to make them succeed. Ultimately, gifts in Wills help us ensure that we ll be around long into the future, supporting people most in need. 11
I want to pass on the idea of caring for others Bob Ernst Dedicated Red Cross volunteer, who has included us in his Will 12
I first heard about Red Cross in 1959, when a friend started donating blood, so I started too. I also began making financial donations around the 1980s. I discovered the seven Fundamental Principles of Red Cross, and I try to live by those principles myself in normal life. I m now in my mid-seventies. I was an engineer, but I ve been retired for a number of years. Taking care of my family and in particular my two beautiful grandchildren is the most important thing in my life. I remember every detail about the day my son was born. It s as if it happened yesterday. Funny, one of the first things I did back then was to make a Will, because I knew I owed him a life-long responsibility. Some of my friends found that strange. People often think that by making a Will they are somehow giving in to death. But I don t see it like that at all. For me, having a Will demonstrates the love and respect I have for my family. I certainly don t want to burden them with the onerous legal process that results from not having a Will. I couldn t bear knowing I d put them through that. It was actually quite easy to map out my Will. I wanted to provide for the children of course, but I wanted more than that. I recognise how fortunate I ve been in life. I just want to share that good fortune with others I think we need to do more of that in society. I ve included Red Cross in my Will because I want to make the world better for my grandchildren. I believe that at some point in your life Red Cross will be there for you. There are not many organisations that can say that. So I called Red Cross to ask for the specific wording for my Will and I forwarded it to my solicitor, who then included it in my Will it was very easy. It s a wonderful feeling knowing my wife and I will be helping people both in Australia and further afield that we have never met. It s inspiring to know many of the Red Cross principles will live on due to our support. I would like to pass on a belief in humanity. An aspiration to be compassionate. An understanding that happiness can really only be achieved by caring for other people, and trying to share. redcross.org.au/bequests bequests@redcross.org.au 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) 13
How to leave a gift to Red Cross 14
We hope after reading this information, you will consider including a gift to Red Cross in your Will. Getting it done is simple. Here are the things you need to know. Finding a legal advisor We recommend that you consult a legal professional when you create or update your Will. They will know what questions to ask and may have useful suggestions for you, making the process much easier and ensuring that your Will is legally valid. We could put you in touch with a member of our National Solicitor Network in your area, just contact us on 1800 811 700 or bequests@redcross.org.au. What kind of gift can I leave? A share of your estate A good way to help is to leave a percentage or the whole of what is left in your estate after you have provided for your loved ones. This type of gift (known as a residuary bequest) is easy to add to an existing Will without interfering with any specific sums you have left to family or friends. It also has the advantage that it will not be eroded in value by inflation over the years. Just 1%, 2%, 5% or more of the residuary of your estate can make a real difference. A fixed sum of money You may wish to leave us a fixed sum of money (known as a pecuniary bequest). Please remember that this type of gift does not allow for changes in your circumstances or inflation. A specific item You may wish to leave us a particular item (known as a specific bequest), which can be sold to support our work. It could be shares or an item of value such as real estate, art or a piece of jewellery. redcross.org.au/bequests bequests@redcross.org.au 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) 15
16 Recom m en ded wording for you r Will
This page contains specific wording recommended for leaving a gift in your Will to Red Cross. In all cases, the most important thing is your own peace of mind, so we encourage you to discuss your Will with your legal advisor. To include Australian Red Cross in your Will you could include the following: If you wish to donate a percentage of your estate after providing for loved ones I give to Australian Red Cross (ABN 50 169 561 394), for its general purposes, free of all duties % of my residuary estate for which an authorised receipt from Australian Red Cross will be a sufficient discharge for the executor(s) or trustee. If you wish to donate what s left over of your estate after providing for loved ones I give to Australian Red Cross (ABN 50 169 561 394), for its general purposes, free of all duties the whole of the residue of my estate for which an authorised receipt from Australian Red Cross will be a sufficient discharge for the executor(s) or trustee. If you wish to donate a specific sum I give to Australian Red Cross (ABN 50 169 561 394), for its general purposes, free of all duties the sum of $ for which an authorised receipt from Australian Red Cross will be a sufficient discharge for the executor(s) or trustee. If you wish to donate a specific item I give to Australian Red Cross (ABN 50 169 561 394), for its general purposes, free of all duties my for which an authorised receipt from Australian Red Cross will be a sufficient discharge for the executor(s) or trustee. Letting us know If you have already included Red Cross in your Will or are considering doing so, we would appreciate you letting us know. This way we can thank you personally and keep you updated on our work. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our friendly bequests team. We d love to hear from you. 1800 811 700 bequests@redcross.org.au redcross.org.au/bequests bequests@redcross.org.au 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) 17
Ou r promise to you Including a gift in your Will to support Red Cross is an important decision, and it s one that we want to make sure you are 100% happy with. That s why we make these promises: We understand that your family and loved ones come first. All we ask is once you ve looked after those closest to you, that you think about leaving a gift to support our work. Our Will referral services and our National Solicitor Network come free of any obligation. We hope by using these you will consider leaving a gift for our work, but this is entirely up to you. We will handle whatever gift you leave us efficiently, so that it can do the greatest good in the areas where it is needed most. We recognise you have every right to change your mind about a gift in your Will at any time. If you decide to leave a gift in your Will to Australian Red Cross, you are under no obligation to share this information with us. However we would find it helpful to know your wishes as it gives us the opportunity to personally thank you, and to plan for the future. Any information you share with us will be kept strictly confidential and will be used respectfully and appropriately. 18
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20 To take the n ext step 1800 RED CROSS (733 276) bequests@redcross.org.au redcross.org.au/bequests