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Wills, bequests and legacies

This month we want to talk about wills, gifts and legacies. The end of the financial year is a time when many of us tidy up our financial affairs for the tax man. It is a good time to prepare a will and be prepared for whatever the future may hold.

Admittedly, writing a will is not a fun topic and whilst there is no legal requirement to have one, having a will in place, could save you and your loved ones a lot of problems down the line. An added benefit? You can leave a gift in your will, creating a legacy long after you’re gone.

The Burdekin Association signed up with Gathered Here, an online will-writing service here in Australia (there are others internationally) who provide legally binding, free online will-writing services with unlimited updates for life.

About online wills

Although they have been around for many years prior, the use of online will-writing services accelerated during the pandemic, in part due to the restrictions of lockdowns, coupled with the consideration of our own mortality. Now post-pandemic online services such as will-writing continue to go from strength to strength.

Who should have a will?

Everyone – young, old and couples with children (especially). Once you’re over 18 you’re eligible, however many people put off writing a will until they feel they have to, or not at all. Major life events such as the purchase of a house, the birth of a child, an inheritance and sadly an illness diagnosis also prompt the writing of a will.

Write your will for free

Interesting facts:

  • In 2018, a study by ‘Which? Legal’ found that the average age of individuals writing a traditional will was 47.
  • In 2022, almost a fifth of will-writers on Gathered Here were over the age of 65.
  • In 2022, an estimated $224 million was pledged in online wills written via Gathered Here.
  • Residual gifts are by far the most common type of gift pledged in online wills, accounting for 78 per cent of all gifts pledged on Gathered Here.

Leaving a gift in your will

There is a misconception that leaving a gift in your will is only for wealthy people with lots of assets. In fact, without the gifts left in wills from ordinary people, many charities wouldn’t be able to sustain themselves at the level they do.

Types of gifts in wills

  • A residual gift – the amount left over after everything else is taken care of.
  • A pecuniary legacy – a specified monetary gift.
  • Specified legacy – particular items of worth.

Benefits to you

  • Gathered Here is FREE.
  • Unlimited updates for life.
  • No obligation to leave a gift – the will-writing service is still free.
Write your will for free

What leaving a gift in your will means to Burdekin and young people

Whether you are a new or long time supporter of The Burdekin Association, leaving a gift in your will is perhaps the biggest expression of your support of our work. Leaving a gift in your will allows us to plan for the future more effectively – creating a legacy, long past your lifetime.

End of Financial Year Campaign 2023

Help us raise funds to employ two education specialists

Our end of financial year campaign is asking everybody to get behind us to raise funds for the continued employment of our Education Specialists. We are delighted that even when times are tough, our supporters show up again and again!

End of financial year is a busy time and we are not the only organisation asking for your help, so to those of you who have donated or are considering donating to Burdekin thank you so much! We don’t ever take it for granted.

Our young people need our support more than ever.

The Burdekin Way and positive social change.

  • At Burdekin, we ensure young people have a quality home where they can fulfill their potential. A home well beyond simply a physical space, rather, a home in which young people feel safe and emotionally well. A home which provides the foundation for a sense of belonging and connectedness to culture, to peers and the community. A home where they truly feel at home. No more and no less.
  • Once a young person has settled into their home, in line with our holistic understanding of a young person’s needs, they are supported to successfully transition to independence – breaking the cycle of disadvantage.
  • Once young people live an independent and well-connected life, they can contribute to their respective communities.

The Burdekin Learning Space

One of the ways, we help a young person to successfully transition to independence is with education but with the children and young people who come to us, participation in a traditional school can be difficult. In fact, 69% of the children and young people who come to us are unable to participate effectively in learning provided by the education system due to personal circumstances. 100% of young people attending the learning space lacked in confidence in a formal educational setting.

What we do works!

As a result of our dedicated Education Specialists, young people with low literacy and comprehension skills are enrolling in TAFE courses, students who were highly disengaged are now committed to learning and development, relationships and self esteem are greatly improved. Just take a look at our case studies!

Our Goal

We need to raise $180,000 annually to employ two Education Specialists full-time. If you are part of the paid workforce, you can donate directly from your salary before tax! This means you can maximise the amount you are giving. Your money goes directly to your chosen charity. By donating this EoFY, you are also taking charge of where your money goes, plus if you’re on the edge of your tax bracket, you might be able to reduce your taxable income enough to bring your tax bracket down. Check out the tax calculator!! It’s a win for everyone!

With a relatively modest investment we can help young people receive an education to reach their full potential. Please consider The Burdekin Association for your end of financial year tax donation.

Read more about our Learning Space

Read more about our Education Outcomes

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Donate to WIN

Donate to Burdekin and win big with Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Donating to your favourite charity is always rewarding but now you can win something big too! Not only will your money go towards the education of our young people but it also entitles you to be entered into a prize draw to win a Manly Warringah Sea Eagles package!

Donate to Burdekin and win a Manly Warringah Sea Eagles ultimate match day experience!

Donate for the win!

Our donate to win draw is a fun way for Burdekin and our partners Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to raise funds whilst giving you the chance to win the ultimate game day experience!

To enter

To enter our draw, all you have to do is donate to our end of financial year tax giving campaign before midnight on Thursday 30th June. All donations no matter how big or small are automatically entered into the draw to win.

Win a 2022 Sea Eagles jersey signed by the NRL squad. Plus ….

Donate to Burdekin and win a Manly Warringah Sea Eagles ultimate match day experience

The prize also includes 4 Category 1 tickets to a game of your choice and the possibility to form Guard of Honour – terms and conditions apply.

Simply donate to our Educational Inclusion Pays Off Campaign and you will be automatically entered into our donate to win draw – it’s that easy!

Terms and conditions of Donate to Win.

The best ever EoFY fundraiser when our young people need to most.

Northern Beaches youth accommodation

Thank you to everyone who supported our end-of-financial-year tax campaign, it is very much appreciated.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our young people became unemployed. Our goal was to raise money to support their living expenses during this time.

We raised $32,500

Due to your generosity, we managed to raise over $32,500. This figure includes the very generous contribution of $10,000 from Our Patron Professor Brian Burdekin AO. We would like to say a special thank you to Prof. Burdekin for his continued support.

Where the money goes

Your donation goes towards ensuring that every young person has access to the internet, computers, clothing, shoes, training needs, textbooks and other items, without which our young people would face significant barriers to education and employment.

Furthermore, we understand that 2020 has been a challenging time for many so we are especially grateful this year. Thank you!

We acknowledge the Aboriginal people of the Cadigal and Gayamaygal Clans. We acknowledge the Country on which we live, work, and gather as being Aboriginal land.

We acknowledge the lands, waterways and skies that are connected to Aboriginal people. We honour them and pay our deepest respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

We respect their rightful place within our communities, and we value their ancient cultural knowledge and practices.

Aboriginal Flag
Torres Straight Island Flag

We deeply respect that this will always be Aboriginal land and we will honour and follow the first peoples’ values in caring for the Country and for preserving their culture.

We deeply value that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the oldest living culture in the world and we will continue to work with their peoples and communities to ensure their cultures endure and remain strong.