Gathered Here
Our partnership with online wills platform Gathered Here.
August 2024
Overseas research has shown time and again that when people are exposed to the idea of leaving a gift in their will for charitable purposes, the number of people who make that choice doubles. When the idea of charitable giving is normalised (“Many of our clients like to include a gift in their will to charity. Are there any causes important to you?”), the number of charitable bequests triples*.
This importance of this research is why we are so appreciative of the law firms that partner with community foundations across the nation, particularly during September Wills Month. Over the past several years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of direct charities in the region promoting different offers during the same time period. In addition, especially with the current issue with cost of living, we regularly receive calls from asset rich/cash poor locals who know that they need to get their wishes sorted but don’t have the upfront money to pay for a will written by a solicitor.
Our community foundation network (now 18 strong across New Zealand) has been considering the right approach to encourage legacy support for local communities across the country for several years. For Wills Month 2024, our network is trialing a free online will platform, Gathered Here. which has been operating in Australia since 2017 and has helped foundations and charities attract over $500M in bequests in wills during this time. Gathered Here has launched in New Zealand in recent months.
Key aspects of Gathered Here:
- Education: Provides informative content to help locals understand the importance of completing a will, including the potential need for professional legal advice.
- Accessibility: Includes an always-on platform that guides users through the basic steps of creating a will.
- Community focus: Will enable community foundations to help promote the idea of adding gifts in wills to our numerous Community Group funds, providing local charities with the opportunity to achieve some financially sustainable funding sources.
- Targeting: Aimed at reaching locals who have not yet sorted their wishes due to various concerns – expense; complexity; don’t think it is necessary,
We know that online wills aren’t for everyone, including potential donors who have complex estates, including businesses or property, or larger families/complicated family relationships will always be encouraged to seek legal advice from a local firm. We believe that online wills might be appropriate for donors with simple estates and who are younger/tech savvy. In all cases, people who create an online will are encouraged to have their will witnessed by a law firm.
We believe that Gathered Here will provide another 'leg to our stool' in the promotion of community support through bequests. This online platform can serve as a crucial first step for engagement, particularly for individuals facing barriers such as cost, access, awareness, or a belief that wills are unnecessary. It can then be complemented by engagement with firms to ensure legal alignment and thoroughness in estate planning.
We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with law firms across the nation and supporting your relationships with your clients. Community foundations can help you frame up the questions that ensure each client can fulfil their charitable goals and share insight around local charities and causes in our community. Community foundations are well positioned to ensure that every gift that clients make are not only the right gift at the right time, but are also personal, meaningful and fulfilling.
We look forward to continuing to work with law firms across New Zealand to ensure that our regions are supported for generations to come, thank you to you all for your commitment to our communities.
Read more about how we work with professional advisors here
* Source: Legacy Giving and Behavioural Insights, University of Bristol