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  3. Gifts in wills

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) mother nurturing her baby, Zambia © Martin Harvey / WWF

Gifts in Wills

How would you like to be remembered?

No matter how large or small, when you include a gift to WWF in your Will, you are providing our wildlife with a voice for the future. Leaving a legacy of this kind is a way to ensure that your values of protecting wildlife and the environment carry on for future generations.

© WWF-Aus / Patrick Hamilton

© WWF-Aus / Patrick Hamilton

Why we need your help to save our natural world

For over 50 years WWF has been protecting the future of nature. Today WWF is actively working in more than 100 countries to save our natural world.

 

But we rely almost entirely on the generosity of people like you.

 

A gift in your Will shows your willingness to invest in our mission to create a world where humans live in harmony with nature.

 

We would be honoured if you chose to make the protection of wildlife and our natural world an integral part of your personal history.

Five easy steps to make a lasting impact

It’s simple to include a gift in your Will - legally known as a ‘Bequest’. You can leave a bequest with nothing more than your signature. And you can still ensure your family and friends are provided for.

 

Click below to find out how

1

Family, friends and charities

Consider the family, friends and charities that you would like to remember in your Will.

Take your time and talk your decisions over with your family and loved ones. Share your vision with them.

Choosing to include a charity in your Will shows your trust in the organisation, and your belief in the value of their work and the success of their approach. WWF would be extremely grateful to be held in such high esteem.

2

Choose your bequest

Choose the type of donation you would like to leave to your favourite charities:

  • Residual bequest: Pass on the remainder of your estate to your chosen charities, after other legacies have been fulfilled.
  • Specific bequest: Specify the percentage share of estate that each of your chosen charities receives.
3

Use correct wording

Using the wording below helps ensure that your gift is used in the way you intend.

‘I give to World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (ABN 57 001 594 074) free of all taxes and other deductions the residue of my estate / ___% share of my estate for its general purposes, and the receipt given on behalf of the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia shall be sufficient discharge to my Trustee.’

 

Email

4

Write and legalise your Will

Ensure your estate is used as you intend

A solicitor, lawyer or estate planner can assist to prepare your Will under your direction. Alternatively, WWF is a member of Charity Wills, an online legal Will making service which offers simple Wills free of charge to those wishing to include a bequest to WWF. Visit Charity Wills to see if their Wills are right for you.

Remember your Will is not legal until it is signed and witnessed, and you can change your Will and your beneficiaries at any time.

5

Please let us know

Already left a donation in your Will?

Please contact us to share your intentions so that we can update our records, and most importantly, thank you for remembering wildlife and the preservation of our natural world in your Will.

Christine, Connie or Debra in our Philanthropy Team would be happy to hear from you. You can reach us on 02 8228 6822, or email legacy@wwf.org.au

People like you

The men and women below have decided that one of the lasting legacies of their lives will be to preserve and sustain an Earth where all life can flourish. They wanted to share their stories with you. See what they have to say.

People do not always care for wildlife

Janet Wilczynski, NSW

“It’s all about the influences we receive in childhood and the way we influence the next generation,”

Janet Wilczynski inherited a passion for nature from her parents, and she is determined to share it with the next generation.

Janet spent her early childhood in the English countryside, bluebells and primroses grew amongst the hazel and oak trees, providing homes for squirrels and woodpeckers.

“I put down saucers of milk for hedgehogs and fed the birds in winter.”

She was taught to appreciate nature by her parents. One of the first books they gave her was Tarka the Otter.

The tragic death of Tarka, killed by hunters, made a lasting impression. It was the moment she realized that people do not always care for wildlife.

When Janet revisited the Little Wood of her childhood nearly forty years later, it had been destroyed to create a freeway, “the price of progress and overpopulation”.

Janet is determined to help protect wildlife and the environment, here and around the world.

Volunteering at her grandson’s school, she talks to the children about conservation and recycling.

“It’s all about the influences we receive in childhood and the way we influence the next generation,” she says.

Janet is proud to have raised two daughters who share her love of the environment and, after discussing it with them, decided to include WWF-Australia in her will.

A life of wild encounters

Bill Laing, NSW

“I believe in the preservation of wildlife for future generations, and the environment too.”

“I liked to be out in the wilds as a boy in Scotland, among the heather and the partridges and the grouse,” he says. “It started there, and I still love wildlife today.”

“I was very fortunate as a young man in the navy to visit Malaysia, the East Indies, and Africa. Especially Africa! It was phenomenal to travel across the plains, to see herds on the move – it just gave me such a big thrill.

I went back to Malaysia to go diving with my wife Wendy in the ‘90s. Sadly, in some areas, the corals are broken and you don’t see anything like what you used to.”

Bill and Wendy now live in NSW. Brimming with camellias, their woodland garden in Leura attracts a colourful array of native birds and frogs.

When asked why he has decided to support WWF with a donation in his Will, Bill says:

“I believe in the preservation of wildlife for future generations, and the environment too. Not only in Australia, but around the world. That’s the reason WWF are in my Will.”

An extraordinary life. An extraordinary gift.

Elizabeth Storrs, ACT

“I have interacted with wild orang-utans, explored Africa’s numerous national parks, and visited remote corners of Australia. What a privilege!”

Elizabeth’s love of nature began early in life. From the age of three she stepped from her back porch right into Cheetham Park, a semi-natural public reserve in England, where her father worked as a gardener.

Within the Park was a densely wooded valley, which to this day remains a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve.

“The back doors of our cottage were inside the Park, so our splendid isolation was complete once the big gates were closed. The Park became my playground, and weekends were especially exciting, when I would be allowed through the locked gate into the bird sanctuary. There I spent hours tagging birds, repairing nests and helping the warden to record domestic and migrant species.”

In the extraordinary life that followed, Elizabeth lived in Swaziland, Hollywood and outback Australia.

“I have lived and worked on five continents, long before poaching, forest clearing, mining and climate change were crucial issues.”

Elizabeth has chosen to leave a donation to the future protection of the natural world which, throughout her life, has been her playground.

“As long as you keep national parks going, as long as you retain the Barrier Reef, as long as you keep the harpoons away from the seals... I mean, there’s so much to be negative about that we must think positively.”

A family passion for conservation

Norm Godfrey and Megan Loneragan

“Dad loved nature. He was attuned to it and devoted to protecting it”

For Megan Loneragan, conservation of Australia’s precious plants and animals is a family affair, and there is no doubt where her love of wildlife comes from.

Before he passed, her father Norm Godfrey contributed significantly towards WWF’s work to protect black-flanked rock-wallabies in Western Australia – this was to be his living legacy.

Some of Megan’s earliest memories are of her father collecting seed and replanting native trees in the Perth Hills.

“Fortunately we had quite a large backyard, it was full of trees in little pots. We’d go and help plant them out. We were always in dirty jeans and boots.”

“Dad loved nature. He was attuned to it and devoted to protecting it".

“He liked WWF because they had practical projects that were scientifically based.”

It was this practical approach to conservation that inspired Megan to include WWF in her Will. She says she is delighted to be carrying on her father’s legacy, and hopes her Bequest will help save our iconic Great Barrier Reef.

“Every Australian is very proud of it, and saddened to see it deteriorating. I hope my gift helps to protect it for my kids and grandkids.”

Read more about Norm’s inspirational contribution to conservation in Megan’s full interview. Click here

An enduring passion

Chris Farrell, VIC

“I thought, What if something happens to me? What would I like to leave behind? What would I like my life to achieve?”

When you talk to Chris Farrell you are left in absolutely no doubt about his love of wildlife. Chris is a specialist wildlife photographer who donates his imagery to WWF to further conservation efforts. Chris’ legacy to WWF however, goes far beyond his photography. He has also committed to leave a donation to WWF in his Will. He describes making the decision while cycling in northern Queensland.

“I thought, ‘What if something happens to me? What would I like to leave behind? What would I like my life to achieve?’ So I made sure that, no matter what happens to me, the things I love, the things that have framed the direction of my life, will be preserved.

Chris describes himself as an animal lover first, and a photographer second.

“Photography is my way of passing on some of the wonder that I see, especially to kids. I want kids to see the world as I see it and to want to protect it as much as I do. I get such a buzz when kids stand in front of one of my exhibitions, and ‘see’ with new eyes. Almost falling in love with a whale, or an osprey in flight… and what they love, they’ll value and preserve. I want to keep on inspiring kids to become the new guardians of the nature. Leaving a bequest to WWF is my way of doing that.”

“WWF has always been a part of my life”

Sandy Norman, WA

"It is not enough just to look after injured animals and those in need, we have to protect their environments as well by acting respectfully towards nature."

Sandy Norman has supported the work of WWF since she was a child in Switzerland, selling the organisation’s stamps each year. Now living in Australia, we asked her about her most recent gesture of support for this world and its wildlife - the decision to leave a donation in her Will to WWF-Australia.

“As a child I spent all my holidays at my grandmother’s place. She had hens and rabbits which I fed and cherished every day. But I soon learned that these animals were not pets. My childhood experiences led me to try to do whatever I could to help and save every single animal that crossed my way.

“As an adult I became a member of WWF-Switzerland and did volunteer work as well, like ensuring a safe way for frogs when they were crossing roads to reach their mating pools.

“Getting older I realised that it is not enough just to look after injured animals and those in need, but that we have to protect their environments as well by acting respectfully towards nature.

“I talked to my husband about my wish to leave my estate through my Will to WWF-Australia and he fully agreed. It is crucial for me to know that with my death I will still be able to help WWF-Australia proceed with their precious and invaluable works.”

On this property, animals have right of way

Frank Peel and Jenny Savron, VIC

"The older you get, the more you seem to care for what you have neglected for so many years, and see conservation in a different light.”

Besides a very warm welcome, I had little idea what to expect. But meeting WWF supporters Frank and Jenny Peel in rural Victoria was a privilege that left me totally inspired.

Frank and Jenny had made a donation in their Wills to WWF. I’m Christine Robinson, WWF’s legacy officer and I had come to know them well through our conversations and correspondence. I wanted to meet them and thank them. And what I found was a rare thing - a couple whose lives were not driven by accumulating ‘stuff’, but by caring for each other and for the bush and wildlife.

As you enter their driveway, the ‘Wildlife Sanctuary’ signs declare, in no uncertain terms, that on this property, animals have the right of way.

Frank says, “That’s the way it is. Jenny and I are turning our small acreage into a safe place for the creatures that are being bullied off the landscape and we expect our visitors to respect that”.

My visit was not long after the terrible bushfires that destroyed not only homes in their area, but also the habitat that wildlife relies on for food and shelter. That evening, I watched self-proclaimed ‘hard-arse truckie’ Frank and life-long wildlife protector Jenny feeding the wallabies and other animals with food bought with their own money.

When I asked why they chose WWF for their legacy, they said it was easy. “The animals have no one to speak up for them. But WWF does that. And I reckon that WWF is going to keep on speaking up for our Aussie wildlife long after we are gone.”

Making life count for the long term

Sean Triner, NSW

“It seemed natural to me to leave a bequest in my Will to WWF because they care about what I care about.”

“I found this large female python with a huge gash just near her head. I took her to the local vet, and had to hold her head and neck still with two hands. This left the rest of her free to wrap around my middle …”

You begin to realise that this is not an ordinary conversation with an ordinary corporate executive. What begins to show is Sean’s love for the amazing creatures and places that make this planet such a beautiful place.

“I have always given to charities, but my decision to leave a donation in my Will to WWF is about making my life count for the long-term. It seemed natural to me because WWF care about what I care about. I like the way they identify environmental problems and ask the fundamental question: How are we going to fix this? And then they get on and do it.”

Sean tells of a visit to a WWF anti-poaching project in Vietnam and how it helped confirm his appreciation of the way WWF handles things.

“They had a well thought out plan involving local people at all levels, training rangers, redirecting community aspirations … not just a quick fix, but solid workable plans … that’s important to me.

And the python?Well, “Every time the vet did something to cause her discomfort - stitching or whatever - she would let me know in no uncertain terms by tightening her squeeze around my middle”.

Who knows, it may just have been a thank you hug from a grateful creature to a committed WWF supporter.

The greatest gift I can give them

Nick Heath, QLD

“Through my Bequest to WWF I can give my children the greatest gift of all – the hope of clean air, fresh water and a healthy planet.”

“My connection to the Great Barrier Reef was formed at a very early age. My dad was a dive boat captain so our days were spent steaming between the reefs and coral islands between Mackay and Cooktown.

I grew up, left home and went off to find a career. Years passed and when I finally returned to the Reef for a visit, I was shocked at how much it had changed in less than a decade … and not for the better.

It was terrible, truly heartbreaking to see what I saw then. It was then that I vowed to devote my working life to conserving what was left. I joined the WWF team in 2006 and now work to protect the Reef from farm pollution, fisheries and other impacts.

While I have seen many wins over the years I have also come to realise that my lifetime will not be enough. The natural places we love will always be prey to exploitation. I chose to leave a donation in my Will to WWF to fight for the Great Barrier Reef when I am no longer around to fight for it myself.

As the father of two young children, the protection of our natural world is more important to me than ever before.

Through my bequest I can give my children the greatest gift of all – the hope of clean air, fresh water and a healthy planet.”

Share on of life’s chocolate moments

Dr Dedee Woodside, Former WWF-Australia Board Member (currently a WWF governor and member of WWF Eminent Scientists Group)

“It’s not a line in a Will; it’s the privilege of bestowing an endowment of care on the magnificent creatures that share this planet with us.”

“It was what I like to call one of life’s ‘chocolate moments’; one of those occasions when the rest of life is suspended, and you find yourself totally absorbed in something wonderful that flavours your life forever.

I was sitting on the soggy ground in the forest home of the mountain gorillas, enveloped in the legendary mist, and in that moment, there was just no other world but theirs. And I was part of their world.

They would drop out of a nearby tree in curiosity… how privileged are moments like that?

I think that moment encapsulates everything that makes me want to leave behind a legacy. It’s not a line in a Will; it’s the privilege of bestowing an endowment of care on the magnificent creatures that share this planet with us.

If, like me, you have bequeathed a gift to the wildlife of the world, then raise your glass. You are creating a future that will be a little more kind to the ‘creatures great and small’ who have suffered so much through the unseemly destruction of their habitats.

If you haven’t yet made that decision to leave a donation in your Will, then please join us. Become one of a special group whose love of nature will long outlive them. I think a bequest is our way of giving back.”

The joy of giving back

Ron and Robyn Bressington, NSW

“He was so gentle, he just picked up my hand, sniffed it and then put it down and held onto me. It was fabulous.”

For Robyn Bressington, this was one of those indescribable moments of joy. To be approached and experience the touch of an adolescent orang-utan - trusting, reaching out - is something she will never forget, a dream come true.

Ron and Robyn Bressington have long held a deep love and concern for the preservation of endangered species, and have expressed this in leaving a donation in their Wills to WWF.

As the orang-utan took her hand, it was as if nature responded. The adolescent orang-utan could have been nature’s representative, there to say ‘thank you’.

Robyn and Ron Bressington, decided that leaving a legacy to nature was the best way they could give something back to the world that has given them so much pleasure and so many wonderful experiences. Especially as they saw the devastation the gentle orang-utans of Borneo were suffering, as mile upon mile of forests were hacked down to make way for palm oil plantations.

They see their bequest as a gift to the future. “I decided to leave a donation in my Will so that other people would be able to observe nature in its home of rich diversity. WWF looks at things proactively, with a global perspective - they know where help is most needed,” says Robyn.

I have a short story that I would like to tell

Anne Wallace, NSW

“Once upon a time during the early 1900s, in southern England’s beautiful Devon, lived two children - a small girl and a small boy...”

“They were neighbours and they shared a deep love and an understanding of animals. The two children really respected animals and cared about their welfare. Sometimes, in their efforts to prevent cruelty and suffering, they would search together in the fields and lanes and, using sticks, would dislodge and spring the hideously cruel, iron rabbit traps set by the local farmers.

When the little girl was leaving the area she had to part with her most loved pet - a Belgian hare. She gave it to the little boy who promised to take great care of it. The little girl was my mother, Barbara Pearson. The little boy was Peter Scott who went on to become the founder of WWF.

Many years later, here in Australia, my mother would tell me of their early friendship, as she taught me to care for and to respect all animals.

I have been a WWF supporter for many years and I support where I can - and I congratulate WWF on its efforts and achievements.”

Ann is continuing her mother’s lifelong love of nature by making a donation to WWF in her Will. And so the ripples continue to spread from two children, to touch the world.

Imagine a world without animals

Holly Smith, NSW

“I have been a WWF supporter for many years. By leaving WWF a donation, I know I can have an impact far beyond anything I have been able to do during the course of my life.”

“In Avalon in NSW, where I came to live in 1951, there were many koalas, not only in our reserves, but living and roaming around in our yards. The last survey done many years ago found that there were only eight koalas left on our entire peninsula.

This is a most tragic situation not only for our koalas, but for us, as these lovely creatures gave much pleasure to residents and visitors alike. We have lost forever this exciting feature of our lives, this natural joining of nature with our everyday human existence.

Many other animals in the world are in danger of extinction or of threatened lives, and we need to do all we can to make their lives safe and happy. Our domestic pets are our friends and love us unconditionally, but animals in the wild are just as deserving of our love and help. Yet, they do not have owners to care about them and help them survive in the world.

It is up to us. Can you imagine what our world would be like if our animals were gone? This is altogether too terrible to contemplate.

I have been a WWF supporter for many years. By leaving WWF a donation in my Will, I know I can have an impact far beyond anything I have been able to do during the course of my life. My bequest will help to continue the work being done to ensure that we can continue to enjoy and benefit from our association with our wonderful animals.”

Why support in this way?

Not only can you help after your lifetime, but by including WWF-Australia in your will, there are added advantages to you now:

  • You can make a gift that costs you nothing now.
  • You can provide for your loved ones and causes you care about
  • You can change your beneficiaries at any time.
  • Large or small your donation will ensure your values live on.

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    Can we help?

    If you have any questions at all please contact Christine or Sharlene in our Philanthropy Team.

     

    Reach them directly on 02 8228 6822, free call 1800 032 551, email legacy@wwf.org.au or fill out our form above

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    WWF is one of Australia’s most trusted conservation organisations. At WWF, we work in Australia and in our Asia-Pacific backyard to protect endangered species and habitats, meet the challenge of climate change, and build a world where people live in harmony with nature. This would not be possible without financial support from our community. Thank you! If you would like to help us, please make a donation.

    All donations of $2 or more to WWF-Australia are tax-deductible. For your convenience we will send you one receipt at the end of the financial year, for the total amount of your tax deductible donations.
    Registered Charity Number: ACN 001 594 074 | NSW License Number: CFN 13143

    © WWF-Australia 2018, All rights reserved. Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under Creative Commons licence.

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