We hope that the following information assists you in your deliberations to include a gift of sight in your Will. If you have any further questions about leaving a gift in your Will to The Foundation and the impact it will have, please reach out to us via email at bequest@hollows.org or on 1800 352 352.
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The difference that gifts in Wills make
A gift in your Will is a really special way to continue your support. By leaving a gift to The Fred Hollows Foundation in your Will, you will train the next generation of eye surgeons and help transform the lives of many millions of people living with avoidable blindness. Your gift means you’ll always be part of something exceptional and it’s something that you and your loved ones can be proud of together. Importantly, restoring sight also has economic benefits. Every $1 invested in cataract treatment equals a $20 economic return, according to a recent study undertaken by us and the Victoria University Institute of Strategic Economic Studies.
The Fred Hollows Foundation has three key areas – general projects, international projects and Indigenous Australia. Including a general gift is most efficient for The Foundation, as we can direct your gift towards the people and communities who need your help the most at that time. But we understand that people have a particular interest in certain regions or topics in which case please feel free to reach out to us on 1800 352 352 or email bequest@hollows.org.
Help finding a suitable solicitor
Although we are not able to make specific recommendations, you can find a list of solicitors here.
It also might be helpful to look up the Public or State Trustee in your State to get an idea of costs and work involved. This might be helpful to have a point of reference or comparison if you meet with solicitors in your local area. If you have a simple Will, you can use an online Will writing service, such as our partner Gathered Here or Safewill to write your Will. With these services you can write your bespoke Will online, quickly and easily and in your own time, from the comfort of your own home.
The cost to make or update your Will
Costs do vary depending on the complexity of each Will and the service you use. The average costs with a solicitor can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars or more, depending on your circumstances.
The Public Trustee in NSW for instances states on their website that they charge a fee of $440 but that in certain instance the services are free for eligible people.
If you have a simple Will, you can use one of our online service partners below to write your Will for free or a small fee. Both are an easy way of writing your bespoke Will quickly, easily, in your own time and from the comfort of your own home.
- Gathered Here – you can write your Will at no cost with Gathered Here. This includes unlimited updates for life.
- Safewill - you can write your online Will with Safewill for a fixed fee of $160, or for $259 including legal advice. Each online Will is also reviewed by a solicitor.
Practical information on how to update or write your Will
When considering leaving a gift in your Will to a charity, our Gifts in Will page contains lots of practical information such as:
- suggested wording for Wills
- the types of gifts
- information for solicitors
- FAQ’s
You can also read our blog with 5 useful steps before you get started.
Honouring a loved one through a gift
Choosing to honour your loved one with a gift in memory is a very generous gesture. This simple act ensures that their memory lives on and leaves a lasting impact – by restoring sight to needlessly blind people around the world. There are many ways you can choose to honour your loved one and support The Fred Hollows Foundation.
How The Foundation is run and the admin costs
You can find lots of helpful information on the following pages:
The long term vision of The Foundation
Many people are blind because they don’t have access to quality and affordable eye health care. Since The Foundation began, we’ve restored sight to more than 3 million people – often with a simple, 20 minute operation. Our work focuses on four distinct areas in our aim to end avoidable blindness:
Avoidable Blindness
In research we’ve undertaken, we discovered that alleviating blindness is an effective way of easing poverty in the developing world. If more people in a nation can see, more people can go to school, work, raise children, or start businesses. Ending avoidable blindness improves the economy, equality, skills and development of a country, while reducing its financial and social burden. Our aim, wherever we work, is to build capacity at all levels.
Training
Fred believed that training and empowering local people was the key to sustainable change. The Foundation trains doctors, nurses and health care workers so they can recognise, diagnose, refer and treat eye problems in their communities.
Research and Technology
With our growing knowledge and understanding of eye diseases through research and technology, we can create solutions that are more effective at restoring sight to even more people – and end avoidable blindness, faster.
Advocacy
Change through social activism was something close to Fred's heart. Our advocacy work is all about working with governments, our partners and local communities in achieving long term change. Learn more here.