An offer for Diabetes Victoria’s supporters – A free online will

Did you know that many Australian charities rely on gifts in wills as a significant source of future funding, helping them continue their work for generations to come?

As more Australians choose to write a will online, we’re helping raise awareness of the key steps needed to ensure an online will is legally valid and reflects your wishes.

That’s why, during September, we’re offering our supporters access to free online will-writing through our trusted partners, Safewill and Everywill.

Having a valid will in place is an important way of protecting our loved ones while creating an impactful legacy for change. Yet for many Victorians, creating or updating their will is a task that’s easily postponed.

While creating your online will is straightforward, it’s important to ensure it is completed, signed and stored correctly so it remains legally valid.

Here’s what you need to know.

Making A Valid Will

Making an online will is legally valid if it complies with the legal requirements in your Australian state or territory. For Victoria, this includes ensuring your will has been printed and signed by yourself and two witnesses.

It doesn’t matter if your will is created online or by a solicitor; the law in Victoria is that it must still meet the same legal standards. Generally, this means it must be:

made voluntarily
prepared by someone with testamentary capacity
signed correctly
witnessed in accordance with the law.

You can find more information via the Victorian Legal Aid website: Making a valid Will | Victoria Legal Aid

When Should I Seek Legal Advice?

Personalised legal advice from a practising lawyer or solicitor is valuable if you have:

a blended family
overseas assets
a family business
trusts
significant superannuation arrangements
complex investments
concerns that your will may be challenged.

An experienced estate planning solicitor or lawyer can help ensure your wishes are clearly documented while reducing the risk of future disputes and costs.

Creating Your Will Online

If writing your will online suits your circumstances, our partners at Safewill and Everywill guide you through preparing your will documents online; however, once you have completed this process, you need to complete the steps highlighted earlier, ensuring your will is properly signed.

If writing your will has been sitting on your to-do list, there's never been a better time to get started.

You can access Diabetes Victoria’s free online will-writing offer here with either Safewill or Everywill.

There is never any obligation to nominate a gift to support Diabetes Victoria; however, for those who wish to do so, choosing a residuary gift percentage that feels right to you, is a way to ensure that your loved ones are provided for in the first instance and the cause you care about benefits too.

Every gift in a will helps fund vital diabetes research, education, prevention and essential advocacy, supporting people living with or at risk of diabetes for generations to come.

If you decide to create your will using a solicitor or lawyer, please provide them with the wording below to ensure they use our correct legal details, which ensures your gift goes directly to where you plan:

I give my residuary estate; OR (insert percentage) % of my residuary estate; OR the sum of $ (insert amount); OR (insert specific assets, such as real estate, shares, artwork etc.) to Diabetes Victoria, ABN 71 005 239 510, for its general purpose; OR (insert area) within Diabetes Victoria. I declare that the receipt of the proper officer of Diabetes Victoria shall be sufficient discharge to my Executors.

To learn more about the positive impact you can make, please visit the Diabetes Victoria webpage; A gift in your will - Diabetes Victoria or call Carla Northmore on 0413 557 141 for a confidential chat.

Making Your Will a Legal Document

Your will is only a legal document once you’ve signed it in front of two or more witnesses. Your witnesses must then also sign your will while you are present, at the foot of each page, if there are multiple pages.

After your will has been signed and witnessed, think carefully about where the original document should be kept. Good storage options may include:

your solicitor
a secure home safe
your executor
your charity beneficiary
another safe storage location appropriate to your circumstances.

Although scanned copies can be useful references, typically the original signed document is required during the estate administration process. So, wherever you choose to keep your will, make sure to tell your executor where it is; that way it can be located when it's needed.

If you're comfortable doing so, Diabetes Victoria would be honoured to know you've included a gift in support of a world where diabetes can do no harm, so we can express our gratitude to you.

For any assistance, our Planned Giving Co-ordinator Carla is always happy to have a chat.

Disclaimer: this article is intended to provide general guidance. It is not legal advice. We recommend speaking with a practicing lawyers or solicitor for personalised legal advice.

The free online will offer is valid in September 2026.