Leave A Legacy
Joanna was a determined, passionate advocate for the protection and compassionate care of all animals, both in the ocean and on land. Through the Foundation’s work it is our mission to continue her legacy by providing support to organisations and individuals who are equally determined to protect and improve the lives for animals around the world.
You can help us do this by leaving a gift for the Joanna Toole Foundation in your Will. Since its conception in 2020, we’ve already supported over X organisations through X grants, helping animals receive protection, treatment and care, and also supporting critical research and innovative education.
How to create a will and leave a gift
Leaving a gift in your Will to charity is easier than you might think – just follow the following steps:
- Ensure you have the correct Foundation name, address and registered charity number.
- Find a solicitor or professional Will writer to write your Will. Use Remember a Charity solicitor finder to find qualified advisors in your local area
- Read Remember A Charity guide on making a Will for advice on what you need to consider when writing your Will
- Provide your solicitor or Will writer with details of the Joanna Toole Foundation
Updating an existing Will to include a gift to charity
If you want to leave a gift to the Foundation but you have already made a Will, that is no problem – there are a couple of ways you can change it.
Write a new Will –The simplest way is to write a new Will. Once written, any Wills made by that person in the past become void. In fact, most Wills will start by reciting that you’re writing a Will and that you’re revoking previous Wills.
The other way is to write a codicil, which is a document used to make changes to an existing Will. It’s used as a way to make simple amendments like adding a charity, changing a gift amount or adding an executor. This is all quite straightforward but problems can occur if you ever want to cancel the Will in the future. When you cancel a Will that contains a codicil, the codicil does not get cancelled automatically, so when you write a new Will it can create inconsistencies and legal problems. To avoid this, make sure that any new Will clearly states that you are revoking all Wills and codicils previously made.
What Kind of Gift
The same considerations apply to gifts to charities as gifts to individuals. In some cases a cash gift will be appropriate, but sometimes it may be preferable to give a share of the residue.
Here are some illustrative clauses from Remember a Charity, that could be included in a will to ensure that a charitable gift does not fail. This list is not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive.
Pecuniary legacy – I leave to (CHARITY NAME) of (CHARITY ADDRESS) Charity Registration Number: (xxxxxxx) the sum of £ (to be completed) (amount in words) for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors.
Specific legacy – I leave to (CHARITY NAME) of (CHARITY ADDRESS) Charity Registration Number: (xxxxxxx) (description of item) absolutely for the general purposes of the said charity and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors.
Residuary legacy – I leave to (CHARITY NAME) of (CHARITY ADDRESS) Charity Registration Number: (xxxxxxx) (proportion of residue to be completed) for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors.
Visit Remember a Charity for further information and advice.