Leaving a lasting legacy

By Amanda Resendes?

This September is Wills Month and is a time that prompts us all to stop and reflect on the legacy we want to leave behind.???

New Zealanders are incredibly generous supporters of charities but leaving a gift in a will is a different kind of giving that many New Zealanders are not necessarily familiar with.?

Wills Month is an opportunity to not only highlight the benefits of this type of giving, but to motivate Kiwis to either make a start and write a will or to consider what’s in their will and whether it should include a legacy for a charity, such as World Vision.??

The Wills Month is a timely prompt for many of us because a recent survey of more than 3,000 New Zealanders by the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ), in conjunction with Perpetual Guardian, found that 45% of adults do not have a will.??

That’s a lot of New Zealanders who have not made provision for the financial legacy of either their family and loved ones nor for a cause that is close to their hearts.? The primary reason for not having a will, was “not having got around to it”.? ?

That’s why this month is the perfect time to get around to it.? We all have so many things on our to-do list, and seemingly non-urgent tasks like writing a will can easily fall to the bottom of the list.? I’d urge you to use this month as a catalyst to secure your financial legacy for not only your family, but, if your heart and circumstances allow, for a charity that reflects your beliefs and values.????

The FINZ survey found that only 6% of those New Zealanders who do have a will had made provision for a gift in their will for a charity.? In a positive trend, this number is on the rise – in 2020 only 5% had made a gift in their will.?? And that positive trend is bolstered further with more than 20% saying they would seriously consider leaving a gift in their will. ?

These are encouraging figures for the entire charity sector, but we still have a long way to go.? In Australia, around 11% of people have left a gift in their will for charity.? ?

Here at World Vision, we want to connect with these compassionate?Kiwis and ask them to think about the kind of legacy they want to leave behind.? I’m sure you will want to leave the world a better place and to know that you have made an impact on humanity in some way.? Leaving a gift in your will can be one of the most effective ways you can make a long-lasting impact for vulnerable children the world over.???

Leaving a gift to World Vision will mean your financial legacy works to improve the lives of children, and their families living in the world’s toughest places by providing life’s most basic essentials, such as food, water, education, healthcare, and safety.? These are the fundamentals for children to live life in all its fullness.??

We are so proud of our Visionaries Group which is made up of many compassionate New Zealanders who have committed to leaving us a gift in their will.? Their legacy will genuinely help to transform lives now and into the future.??

These are generous people, like Raewyn and Brent, who were moved to leave a gift in their will after witnessing the difference their regular child sponsorship donation had made. ?

Raewyn was inspired by seeing the vulnerable young children they initially sponsored develop into aspiring leaders in their communities. ?

A highlight for her was visiting one of their sponsor children in Tanzania. "It was a true privilege to meet her and her family. The World Vision staff showed us several initiatives in the community being funded by child sponsors, such as building health clinics, renovating school classrooms and installing wells to provide access to clean water,” she says.?

Raewyn says seeing this work first-hand and the huge difference it was making to so many people prompted her and Brent to update their wills.? ?

“We were so impressed by what we saw that we each chose to include a gift to World Vision. It seemed an obvious way of continuing to help people who have not had the same advantage as we have." ?

Here at World Vision we like to take time to truly pay honour and tribute to people like Raewyn and all of those in our Visionaries Group.? They are our nearest and dearest and they have often been with us on this journey for many years.? Put plainly, they are our family.? Their names still regularly echo within our office walls as we continue to share conversations we’ve had with them or warm interactions from the past. Whether we are speaking of one, or the collective group, our admiration for them is the same.? We appreciate the love, care and kindness they have displayed in leaving a legacy to help vulnerable children through World Vision.??

We understand that for many people, writing a will can seem overwhelming.? You may not know where to start or how to include a gift in your will for a charity.? There are also many different ways to give in your will, whether that be a specific donated amount or a proportion of your estate.? ? We’d encourage you to speak with your lawyer about the process, but we can also offer some advice. We’re here to help.? We have a dedicated Gifts in Wills manager who can talk you through the process and discuss the requirements with no obligation.? Please don’t hesitate to contact Roslynn on [email protected] You can also learn more here.??

So, this September, I encourage you, to ask yourself, what do you want for the future? What do you want, not only for your family, but for the world you would like them to live in?? And, if you have not yet started planning, then perhaps now is the time to make a will and, if World Vision has a place in your heart, to make space for us in your will.??