bequests

Making a bequest to Marie Stopes International Australia in your Will gives you the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of women and families that need your help.

A valid and up-to-date Will allows you to distribute your assets to the people and organisations you care about. After providing for family and friends many people consider leaving a bequest to charity to help ensure that the organisation’s work will continue into the future here in Australia. Your gift to Marie Stopes International Australia (MSIA) will enable us to provide vitally needed sexual and reproductive healthcare services to people in low income communities across the Asia Pacific region and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

What we do

Reproductive and sexual health problems are the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age worldwide. One woman dies every minute from complications during pregnancy or childbirth - most of these deaths can be prevented. Of every woman that dies, a further 20 women will suffer from long-term illness, injury or disability. Women living in low-income, rural and developing communities suffer disproportionately, with women in the Asia Pacific experiencing some of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world.

With the help of people like you, MSIA saves the lives of these women and their families, by providing life-changing sexual and reproductive healthcare and education where often there was no quality or affordable healthcare before. In places such as Papua New Guinea, China, Timor-Leste, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, the Pacific Islands and Australia we have helped millions of women and their families.

How we help

MSIA uses modern business methods and social marketing to encourage behaviour change, to help prevent unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. We work with local in-country partners on projects that are long-term in focus, sustainable, diverse and culturally relevant. Our projects range from far-reaching reproductive healthcare in Timor-Leste know as “Mobile Midwives”, to sexual health centres in China called ‘You&Me’ which are especially for unmarried young adults - a group often overlooked in the sexual healthcare system in China. Your legacy would ensure that these projects will continue into the future and change the lives of women and their families.

Types of Bequests

Leaving a bequest to MSIA is easy. If you do not already have a Will it is a quick and easy process to get one prepared by a professional. A pre-existing Will can be altered by adding a codicil (an instruction added to a Will) if the change is reasonably straightforward. Therefore a rewrite of your entire Will may not be necessary. We strongly recommend seeking independent legal advice in the writing or changing of a Will to ensure it accurately reflects your wishes. It is also important to ensure your Will is up-to-date, and changes should be made as needed to reflect changes in life circumstances (e.g. marriage or divorce).

Bequests to charities can take different forms and the following are the most common:

Residual bequest

After meeting all your personal commitments, you can choose to leave MSIA the balance (or a proportion of this) of your estate.

Percentage bequest
A gift of a specified percentage of your estate.

This type of bequest has the advantage of changing with the size of your estate, taking inflation into account and ensuring that your gift never becomes disproportionate to other parts of your will.

Pecuniary bequest
A specific amount of money.

As it does not allow for changes in your estate or loss of value through inflation, this should be reviewed regularly.

Specific bequest
A gift of a specific item, e.g. property or shares. 

Upon deciding to include MSIA in your will, we suggest using the following wording for bequests:

To bequest the residue of your estate

“I give and bequeath to Marie Stopes International Australia, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, of GPO Box 3308, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia, the residue of my Estate to be used for its general purposes, free of all duties and testamentary expenses.”

To bequest a percentage of your estate

“I give and bequeath to Marie Stopes International Australia, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, of GPO Box 3308, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia, (the desired percentage)% of my Estate to be used for its general purposes, free of all duties and testamentary expenses.”

To bequest a specific sum

“I give and bequeath to Marie Stopes International Australia, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, of GPO Box 3308, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia, the sum of $(amount) to be used for its general purposes, free of all duties and testamentary expenses.”Upon your decision to include a bequest to MSIA in your Will, you are under no obligation to inform us of your decision. However, if you choose to let us know this means we can thank you in your life and discuss how your generosity will be used to help the women in our country programs. Please be assured that we will respect your privacy and that all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

In line with our mission of ‘Children by Choice, Not Chance’

MSIA focuses on:

• Family planning
• HIV education and prevention
• Preventing and treating STIs
• Safe motherhood
• Supporting adolescents and youth
• Safe abortion