Leaving a Bequest is a lasting and meaningful way to make a difference in the lives of animals. Your compassion today can create a legacy of kindness, ensuring that vulnerable animals receive the care, protection and support they need for years to come.
Leave a gift that changes lives
A bequest to AWL NSW is an enduring way to support animals long after you’re gone. By including a gift in your Will, you help us continue to provide life-saving care, rehabilitation, and loving homes for animals in need. It’s a powerful way to make a difference, creating a legacy that reflects your love for animals and your commitment to their welfare.
Why leave a bequest?
Leaving a bequest ensures that animals receive the care they deserve, regardless of their past. It also supports our ongoing mission to advocate for animal welfare in the community, helping us address issues like cruelty and neglect. Your gift will provide hope and new beginnings for many animals, ensuring they have the chance to thrive.
Pet Legacy Program: Peace of mind for you and your pet
We understand how important your pets are to you. Our Pet Legacy Program is offered to individuals who leave a gift in their will to AWL NSW and ensures that if something happens to you, your beloved companion will be placed in a loving and secure permanent foster home, receiving lifetime care under our supervision.
Bequest FAQs
Step 1: Decide on Your Gift
We recommend you first determine the value of your estate and consult with a solicitor or financial advisor to ensure the gift aligns with your overall estate planning goals.
You can choose leave:
- A specific amount (e.g. $10,000)
- A percentage of your estate (e.g. 10%)
- A particular asset (e.g. property, shares, valuables)
- The residue of your estate (what remains after other gifts and expenses are settled)
Step 2: Use the Correct Wording
To include AWL NSW in your Will, you may wish to consider the following clauses:
“I give and bequeath to the Animal Welfare League NSW (ABN 88 000 533 086) the sum of $[amount] / [percentage]% of my estate / the residue of my estate, to be used for its general purposes. A receipt from an authorised officer of AWL NSW will be sufficient to show my executors have fulfilled their duty.”
Step 3: Write or Update Your Will
We recommend consulting a solicitor or using an online Will service like Safewill.
Animal Welfare League NSW has partnered with Safewill, Australia’s leading online will-writing platform, so our supporters can easily write their Will online, at a discounted rate.
Safewill covers the basic features of Will writing including executorship, appointing guardians for your children and pets, and estate distribution. Safewill also allows you to leave behind meaningful gifts, create comprehensive asset lists for your executor and specify funeral instructions.
Step 4: Inform AWL NSW
If you decide to leave a gift to us in your Will, please let us know so we can acknowledge your generosity.
To include AWL NSW in your Will, you may wish to consider the following clause:
“I give and bequeath to the Animal Welfare League NSW (ABN 88 000 533 086) the sum of $[amount] / [percentage]% of my estate / the residue of my estate, to be used for its general purposes. A receipt from an authorised officer of AWL NSW will be sufficient to show my executors have fulfilled their duty.”
Your pet is family, and planning for their future ensures they will always be safe, loved, and cared for.
For more information on the program, visit the Pet Legacy Program page.
Here’s how you can register your pet(s) into the Pet Legacy program:
Step 1. Contact Us for a Pet Legacy Application Form
Request an application form from bequest-legacy@awlnsw.com.au or call 02 8899 3333 or leave an enquiry via the form on the Pet Legacy Program page.
Step 2. Complete the Application Form
Please ensure any animals you wish to apply for the Pet Legacy Program are microchipped and registered on the NSW Pet Registry under your ownership.
The information requested on the application form is designed to provide us with as much information about your pets, so we can match them with a suitable foster home. This includes everything about their personality, special needs and preferences.
Step 3. Receive your Confirmation Letter and Emergency Card
Your form will be reviewed by our team. Upon approval, our bequest team will send you a registration confirmation letter, Pet Legacy number and Emergency card.
We strongly recommend you speak with your solicitor or executor of your Will and advise them that any animals left in your possession are to come into our care so they can contact us as early as possible.
Step 4. Add Pet Legacy Instructions and a Gift in your Will.
To ensure your pet is officially registered in the program, include the following clause in your Will:
“I give and bequeath to the Animal Welfare League NSW (ABN 88 000 533 086):
- All companion animals in my care at the time of my death, to be given to AWL NSW and cared for according to their Pet Legacy Program’s policies and principles; and
- The sum of $[amount] / [percentage]% of my estate / the residue of my estate, to assist with the care of these animals and support the general work of AWL NSW.
AWL NSW will make the final decisions about the care of my animals. A receipt from an authorised officer of AWL NSW will be sufficient to show my executors have fulfilled their duty.”