What do your supporters need from your will-writing offer?

Working with charities in both the UK and Australia has given me different perspectives on how we support people who are considering a gift in their Will.

My consultancy work looks at how people reach that decision. Building the Planned Giving Platform in Australia means I’m also working directly with solicitor firms to put the support for those decisions into practice.

Across both markets, I keep coming back to the same question: does the will-writing service a charity offers reflect what its supporters actually need?

For one supporter, accessibility might mean being able to complete something online after the children have gone to bed. For another, it means having someone to talk to about a family/business situation that doesn’t fit neatly into a form.

A gifts in Wills programme needs to make room for both.

The support needs to fit the person

In Your legacy audience isn’t an age band, I explored how someone’s reasons for making a first Will, revisiting an existing one or settling their final wishes can shape the support they need.

For charities, the practical question is what choices we offer in response.

Online will-writing has made taking action more accessible and helped bring gifts in Wills to a wider audience. It has a valuable place in a programme.

Alongside that provision, some supporters need individual advice. Someone reviewing their arrangements may want to explore how their family’s needs have changed, what they can provide for the people they love and where a charitable gift might fit. They need the opportunity to ask questions and understand the options in their own circumstances.

My conversations with Australian solicitor firms have reinforced how much flexibility there is in providing that support. Firms are offering phone and video appointments, and some offer home visits. Access to professional advice doesn’t necessarily mean travelling to an office during a working day.

What matters is whether the supporter can get the help they need in a way that works for them.

The roles remain clear. A charity can explain the difference a gift could make. A solicitor can help someone consider their circumstances and wishes independently. The decision belongs to the supporter.

There is willingness to work together

The UK has a long history of charities working with solicitor firms through funded, subsidised and pro bono will-writing arrangements. In my work in Australia, I’ve encountered fewer established collective arrangements and more conversations that begin with a request for donated time.

Pro bono support has a place. But there is scope to build mutually beneficial partnerships that recognise the expertise involved and give both organisations a reason to sustain the relationship.

I’ve found real willingness among Australian firms to support charities and contribute to their communities. I’ve also heard concerns about how their professional expertise is valued as the will-writing market changes.

Those perspectives deserve attention. A firm can care about its community and need a commercially workable arrangement. A charity can recognise the importance of solicitor engagement and be restricted by internal resources to manage it.

There is an opportunity here to build relationships that work for both, with the supporter’s needs at their centre.

Making it practical for charities

Recruiting firms, establishing arrangements and running a will-writing service takes time and infrastructure. For a fundraiser already managing a full gifts in Wills programme, that can be a substantial additional responsibility.

That is the role of the Planned Giving Platform.

It connects charity supporters who want to write or update their Wills with participating solicitor firms. The charity funds an initial consultation. The solicitor can then charge the client for any further services they choose to use.

The arrangement recognises the solicitor’s time and gives the supporter a route to advice specific to their needs. Firms receive introductions to prospective clients, making this a model that can support an ongoing relationship with charities.

The Planned Giving Platform undertakes the solicitor engagement and provides the operational infrastructure on the charity’s behalf. Teams can add this route to their gifts in Wills programme without having to build and administer the whole scheme themselves.

The platform is now live in Queensland, alongside New South Wales and Victoria.

My ambition is to help charities and solicitors build lasting partnerships that give more supporters access to the advice they need. I believe that is a stronger foundation for growing gifts in Wills across Australia.

If you work for an Australian charity and want to offer your supporters access to tailored solicitor advice, I’d welcome a conversation about joining PGP. We can look at how the service would fit your existing programme and the supporters you want to serve.

Email me to arrange a conversation, or find out more about the Planned Giving Platform.