Include A Charity Week: leaving a bequest to Cancer Council in your will

Noone likes to think about writing their will, but it is an important piece of paperwork to consider. It can help make sure that those you care for are looked after, and that your plans are carried out as you wished.

Of course, family and loved ones should always be a priority. But beyond that, some Australians choose to give a small amount of their estate to their favourite charity.

September 11-17 is "Include A Charity Week", when Australians are encouraged to leave a bequest to a charitable organisation in their will. According to recent research by the Fundraising Institute of Australia, almost a third of the public would like to donate to a not-for-profit organisation in their will, but only 12% actually do. If that number was to raise to just 15% by 2020, charities would get a huge boost - estimated at an additional $440m.

If you choose to donate to Cancer Council in your will, you will be helping bring us closer to our goal of a cancer-free future. Cancer Council-funded research has made a very real contribution to the declining number of cancer deaths in the last 20 years, and this is only set to continue over the coming years and decades.

Like all donations to Cancer Council, your bequests will go towards:

• research: we fund more ground-breaking cancer research than any other non-government organisation in Australia, reducing the impact cancer has on Australians
• prevention: we’ve prevented countless cancer cases and continue to help reduce Australians' cancer risks through early detection programs and educating the public on healthy lifestyle choices
• support: we offer a number of support services for those affected by cancer and their families and carers, including our 13 11 20 support line
• advocacy: we regularly call on government to take action on reducing cancer risk and improving access to treatment and care.

It's easy to leave a bequest in your will. If you'd like to learn more, you can read our guide to how to leave a gift in your will. Please note that we do strongly recommend you seek advice from a solicitor - it's very important to get the wording right, and your solicitor can advise you on different types of gifts and what they mean.

You can also read the stories of other Australians who have left bequests to Cancer Council about why their donations mean so much to them.