Permaculture Australia has been the fortunate recipient of bequests from like-minded individuals who have kindly included the organisation in their wills. We are always enormously grateful for such gestures and will treat your wishes with the utmost respect.
If you would like to include a gift in your will to support PA activities, we have provided some guidelines below to ensure your bequest is used as you intend. It is also important that you seek legal advice when having your will drafted. The Law Society in each State can refer you to an appropriate solicitor or you may choose to seek the advice of organisations such as the Public Trustee.
Types of gifts in wills
There are a range of ways of expressing your wish to leave a gift in your will that suits your particular circumstances. These include:
- Residue bequest – whole – After providing for loved ones, you pledge the remainder of your estate to your chosen recipient.
- Residue bequest – percentage – With this method, you gift a percentage of your remaining (residue) estate.
- Cash bequest – You may wish to allocate a specific cash amount in your will to your chosen recipient.
- Specific bequest – You may wish to gift items such as property or shares, the benefits of which will be realised by your chosen recipient.
Importance of correct wording when including a bequest in your will
It is important that your Executor can understand exactly what you wish to achieve through your legacy, so the bequest must state this clearly.
If you are considering a bequest to Permaculture Australia we suggest you or your legal representative discuss this with us before drafting your will, to ensure that your wish can be fulfilled.
One approach is to make an open bequest to support Permaculture Australia. This provides the organisation with the greatest flexibility to respond to the critical priorities that will be apparent at the time that the bequest is received.
Alternatively if you are interested in indicating a specific purpose, here are some examples that would support Permaculture Australia as it is currently operating.
- The organisational operating costs for the staff and volunteer teams that keep Permaculture Australia functioning and working to grow the organisation, its networking and communications capabilities.
- Permafund, PA’s grant program, supporting permaculture projects in Australia and internationally
- The educational work in development and publication of educational resources, manual and curriculum assessment tools.
Whichever approach you wish to take, we invite you to contact us to discuss your wishes by emailing hello@permacultureaustralia.org.au, especially if the bequest is envisaged as being for a specific purpose rather than an open bequest.
We suggest you decide first the type of gift you wish to leave, then seek the assistance of your solicitor or other legal advisor on how to draft the appropriate clause in your will.
Some wording is provided here as a guide:
“I bequeath, free of all duties – the residue / OR (percentage) of the residue of my estate / OR the sum of $(amount) / OR (specified items) to PERMACULTURE INTERNATIONAL LTD (ABN 13 196 056 495 ) to be used for its general purposes, OR for a specific purpose being (as stated here). The written receipt of an authorised officer of Permaculture Australia may be accepted by my executors as a full and sufficient discharge of my bequest.”