Making a valid will is the only way you can be sure your property is distributed according to your wishes after your death.  There is no legal requirement that a Legal Professional must prepare a will, but using a Legal Professional will make sure your will is legal and your wishes are properly recorded and carried out.

If you die without making a Will your estate is said to be intestate. As there is no formal record of your wishes your assets will be distributed according to a pre-determined legal formula.

Your legal professional can provide you with an estimate of costs.  If you do not have a legal professional, the Law Society of SA will be able to assist you to locate a suitable Wills and Estates accredited specialist. A gift in your Will to Baptist Care SA can be included at no extra cost whenever you make, revise or update your Will. You can also add a bequest gift to your existing Will in the form of a codicil (a legal amendment) at any time

Yes. After you have made adequate provision for your family and friends, we ask that you consider a gift to Baptist Care SA.

Baptist Care SA will act in a professional manner and always respect your privacy. We will never pass on any details of your Will or confidential information. However, we would love to hear from you if you would like to share your reasons for supporting our work.

You can choose how your gift will be directed:

• A gift to Baptist Care SA – Gifts to Baptist Care SA are carefully considered by our Board and allocated according to need, unless specified by you.
• A gift to Baptist Care (SA) Foundation – Gifts to our Foundation are placed in an Endowment Fund for the long-term benefit of Baptist Care SA. Every year a minimum of 4% of the revenue generated from the fund is given to Baptist Care SA.  How this is used is determined by the Baptist Care SA Board, but is broadly directed to building organisational capacity and community engagement.

In general, there are three major types of gifts:

• Specific Bequest Gifts: Gifts of particular pieces of property such as houses, cars, jewellery, books or clothing made to a person or an organisation.
• General Bequest Gifts: Sums of money or percentages of the value of your estate made to a particular person or organisation such as Baptist Care SA. Tithing of your estate (10% as a guide) is an option you may also consider.
• Residual Bequest Gifts: These are what is left of your estate after specific and general bequest gifts have been paid. If you are married, your gift to Baptist Care SA can take effect after the death of your spouse. This ensures your spouse retains your estate for life.

For many people, leaving a gift in their Will is often the only opportunity they have to give a significant donation to an organisation they have supported for many years. A gift in your Will to Baptist Care SA enables our dedicated staff and volunteers to continue the ministry of working with the most disadvantaged and transforming lives across South Australia.

Ask your Legal professional to include the type of gift of your choosing. Just make sure that they include our correct legal name and Australian Business Number (Baptist Care SA  ABN: 81 257 754 846).