Top tips for leaving a charitable gift in your will

WILLS MONTH BLOG SERIES

In the lead up to September Wills Month we are sharing useful information and thought pieces from our network of member Foundations and supporters.

By The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa
11 August 2025

Giving gifts in your will is a sensible way to ensure your legacy remains after you pass. Leaving donations or bequests this way also ensures you can fit them into your budget – these gifts are given after the debts and costs of your estate have been settled.

Endowment funds, like those offered by Community Foundations across New Zealand, ensure that the support you want to give to an organisation or purpose lasts for a long time. This means your legacy lives on in the way you want it to.

When considering leaving gifts in a will, there are some key things to remember to make sure your intent for settling your estate is clearly captured.

  • Have a lawyer write up your will so that the intent is clearly captured, and you are well informed of your options.
  • Ensure you know which assets fall into part of your estate, and which assets may not.
  • Consider how you want to care for whānau and friends after you have gone.
  • Ask your lawyer what endowment funds are available to best support a cause you are passionate about or discuss the possibility of setting up your own endowment fund. Community Foundations across New Zealand can help set these up.
  • Manage the residue of your estate – what is left after your debts and costs are settled – in percentages. This is important if the size of your estate is different to that of when you made the will.
  • Ensure the will you draft revokes any earlier will that you may have made.
  • Talk with your family about your decisions so that everyone is clear about your wishes. A clear understanding of your wishes can be the best protection for the gifts you want to make.

This information is attributed to the The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa in support of September Wills Month and the work Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand do managing bequests from wills every year. If you need to speak to a lawyer to assist in preparing your will, the Law Society website’s Find a Lawyer tool can help you find one in your local area.

Thank you to the NZ Law Society for again supporting our work for Wills Month this September.



Read heartwarming stories of people who have already decided to leave a gift in their will to their local community >>

Date Posted: 10 Aug 2025

Back to all posts


Recent Posts

‘The philanthropy boom’ and the fast-changing role of professional advisors

05 Sept 2025

It is encouraging to see growing interest from professional advisors, keen to incorporate the topic of philanthropy as part of wider and more holistic advising services. Why is the topic of philanthropy so important in professional advising? ...

Read more

Community foundations are shifting the way that Kiwis give

02 Sept 2025

Sir Stephen Tindall is a name that is synonymous with community, financial growth and giving and he was inspired when he discovered the unique community foundation giving model in the USA 20 years ago...

Read more

Kiwis intentionally shaping their legacies

31 Aug 2025

It's really hard to give well. 1300 funds now power a young and growing Community Foundations network in New Zealand, with over 700 gifts in wills waiting in the wings, which Kiwis have decided they will share with their community once they take their final bow...

Read more