Donate by making a bequest

Making a bequest to Telethon in your Will enables us to continue to enrich children’s lives with vital equipment and research that will benefit your children and your children’s children. It is a way to give beyond your lifetime.  To help you make an informed decision, click here to download a brochure about The Channel Seven Telethon Trust.

Making a bequest in your Will allows you to give to Telethon in a way that might not otherwise have been financially possible during your lifetime.  Telethon will gratefully receive all bequests, regardless of their size. To make a bequest to Telethon click here to download the Codicil.

You may choose to make a particular kind of bequest to Telethon. 

The different types of bequest include:
(1) Residual bequest – A residual bequest in one where the remainder or what is left of your Estate after you have provided for your family, friends and any debts is left to Telethon.

(2) Percentage or fractional bequest – This is a bequest which is expressed in terms of leaving a percentage or fraction of your Estate to Telethon.

(3) Specific gift – You may choose to leave a specified gift, which can be money, property, or stocks and shares, to Telethon under the terms of your Will.

(4) Whole Estate bequest – A bequest that is made of the entirety of an Estate is usually left by people without beneficiaries or by someone who wants to make a very significant bequest.
We encourage you to talk to your solicitor about the type of bequest that suits you and your Estate.

Amending your Will to include making a bequest to Telethon – a codicil
A codicil is a document which contains an instruction which is added to your existing Will.  A codicil effectively becomes part of that Will.

Making a codicil to your existing Will provides a way of including a bequest to Telethon without having to re write your Will.  Because a codicil is a legal document, certain legal requirements must be satisfied in relation to signing and witnessing the document, as are also required when making your Will.

Although making a codicil is not difficult, to make sure your wishes are properly recorded and the documentation is legally valid and effective, you should see a legal adviser to help you prepare the document.  If you decide to use a codicil to include Telethon as a beneficiary under your Will, please ensure you have included the correct wording. 
Some suggested wording for making a bequest to Telethon, which you can discuss with your legal adviser, is set out below.

We’d like to meet you to say thanks
If you have decided to include Telethon as a beneficiary in your Will, we are most grateful and would like to thank you personally.  Once your Will has been finalised, please contact the Telethon General Manager on 08 9344 0752 as we would like to meet you face to face to say thanks.

Suggested clauses for legacy or bequest to The Channel Seven Telethon Trust.
The amount people may wish to give to a charity depends upon their individual circumstances.  The following suggested clauses are for guidance only and may be changed to suit your individual needs.

If you intend to name a specific purpose for your bequest you, or your solicitor, should confirm the required wording with Channel Seven Telethon Trust.

1. UNSPECIFIED – SPECIFIC SUM
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust the sum of $ [insert amount] to be used for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

2. UNSPECIFIED – PERCENTAGE SUM
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust [insert percentage] of my Estate to be used for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

3. UNSPECIFIED – WHOLE OF ESTATE
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust the whole of my Estate to be used for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

4. SPECIFIED
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust the sum of $ [insert amount] to be used for the purposes of (name specific purpose e.g. research, equipment, beneficiary) and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”
Or:
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust [insert percentage] of my Estate to be used for the purposes of (name specific purpose e.g. research, equipment, beneficiary) and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”
Or:
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust the whole of my Estate to be used for the purposes of (name specific purpose e.g. research, equipment, beneficiary) and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

5. RESIDUARY BEQUEST - UNSPECIFIED
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust for its general purposes all (or stated fraction) of the rest, residue and remainder of my Estate whether real or personal and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

6. RESIDUARY BEQUEST - SPECIFIED
“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, to the Channel Seven Telethon Trust to be used for the purposes of (name specific purpose e.g. research, equipment, beneficiary) all (or stated percentage or fraction) of the rest, residue and remainder of my Estate whether real or personal and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel 7 Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

7. BEQUEST TO TRUST TO LIFE BENEFICIARY with remainder (or part thereof) to Channel Seven Telethon Trust
A donor may be interested in providing for family members during their lifetime and, at the same time, keeping their estate intact for other general purposes thereafter.

“I give and bequeath, free of all duties, taxes or deductions, (insert amount or details) to my Executor upon trust to pay the income therefrom to (name of beneficiary) during his or her lifetime and upon death of the said (name of beneficiary) to pay the capital to Channel Seven Telethon Trust for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the General Manager of the Channel Seven Telethon Trust will be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

It is best if gifts are made unconditional.  We cannot be certain who Telethon’s beneficiaries will be in the future when a bequest becomes effective.  For example, if a beneficiary of Telethon funding has ceased to exist, then the funds can be transferred to another beneficiary or area of research if the bequest to Telethon is unconditional.  If there are binding conditions attached to a bequest which we cannot satisfy, the Channel Seven Telethon Trust may not be able to benefit from the bequest. 

If you wish your bequest to be used to fund a particular beneficiary or certain research, we would greatly appreciate such requests to be stated as a preference, rather than as a condition of the bequest.