Leave a gift in your Will

Anyone can leave a gift of any amount in their Will, you don’t have to be wealthy. Of course, you should consider your family and loved ones first. Every donation helps with our research, prevention programs and supporting Queenslanders going through cancer and their carers and family members.

If you’re thinking of making or changing your Will, we strongly suggest you talk to a solicitor to help you draft a Will.

There are certain legal requirements for a Will to be valid and using a solicitor will make sure you get it right. Solicitors charge different amounts to draft Wills, so shop around to make sure you get the best deal.

At Cancer Council Queensland, we’ve partnered with community-minded local law firms across Queensland to provide a Free Will Service for those who kindly include a gift in their Will. Please contact our friendly team for details of our partner solicitors in your area who can help you put together a simple Will.

If you already have a Will, the most cost-effective way to include a gift to Cancer Council Queensland is by adding a codicil – a short legal amendment to your Will. Check with your solicitor if a codicil is appropriate for the updates you wish to make. Adding a codicil could be done via a simple email exchange with your solicitor. It would then involve going into their office to sign the amendment with witnesses. You can also update your Will for free using our Free Will Service.

There are several different ways to leave a gift in your Will.

A residual gift

A residual bequest is a simple way to leave a gift that needn’t interfere with any other specific bequests left to loved ones. This type of bequest retains its value over time. By leaving a residual gift to Cancer Council Queensland you are instructing your Executor that, once your debts are paid and specific gifts are distributed to loved ones named in your Will, the remainder (or a proportion of the remainder) of your estate will be gifted to Cancer Council Queensland.

A fixed specific gift

A gift in the form of other property such as real estate, shares, vehicles or items of jewellery. Whole or part of your estate – You can leave your entire estate or any part of your estate to Cancer Council Queensland.

A fixed sum of money

Also known as a pecuniary bequest, in the form of a specific cash amount. Your solicitor can advise you of ways to ensure the gift retains its relative value (for example, by increasing the amount by reference to CPI).

Here is the information you should provide to a solicitor if you wish to include a gift in your Will to Cancer Council Queensland. Suggested wording to include a gift in your Will to Cancer Council Queensland (ABN 48 321 126 727) is as follows. Please select the wording that best reflects the kind of gift you wish to give.

A residual gift

‘I give, devise and bequeath… (insert either ‘all of my residuary Estate’ or ‘the fraction or percentage of your residuary Estate that you would like to give’) to Cancer Council Queensland presently of 553 Gregory Terrace Fortitude Valley, Queensland to be applied for… (insert either ‘its general charitable purposes’ or the specific purpose that you would like the gift to be used for).’

A specific or monetary gift

‘I give and bequeath… (insert particulars of the specific item being given or the sum of money being given) to Cancer Council Queensland presently of 553 Gregory Terrace Fortitude Valley, Queensland to be applied for… (insert either ‘its general charitable purposes’ or the specific purpose that you would like the gift to be used for).’

Declaration

Irrespective of whether you make a specific or monetary gift or a residuary gift, after you make the gift in your Will, you should also include in your Will the following declaration – ‘In relation to that gift, I declare that a general charitable intent applies, a receipt signed by a person authorised by Cancer Council Queensland shall constitute a full and sufficient discharge to my Executors and my Executors are not obliged to see or enquire into the application of the subject matter of the gift made by me’.