Philanthropy-Ready™

Consultation Draft • August 2026

Philanthropy-Ready™ Legal

The Five Pillars — For Law Firms (Wills & Estates) Consultation Overview

Purpose

Many Australian families care deeply about their communities and would value the opportunity to consider charitable intent as part of their broader wills & estates conversations. Philanthropy-Ready™ Legal is exploring how we might make it easier, more consistent and more supported for legal practitioners to have those conversations.

Our Approach

We believe philanthropy conversations work best when they are client-led and practitioner-initiated. That is, respectfully initiated by legal practitioners as a normal part of broader will instruction conversations, with care and sensitivity to timing, while always leaving choice and timing entirely with the client. The Standard is intended to support practitioners with language, learning and referral pathways, not to prescribe outcomes.

Pillar 1: Inviting Conversation

Exploring a consistent, respectful way to invite clients to consider whether leaving a charitable bequest might be relevant to them, typically within existing will instruction conversations. The aim is a brief, non-assumptive question that normalises the topic and leaves space for the client to say yes, no, or not now. We are consulting on wording that feels comfortable for practitioners and clients. Context: Only 20% of people who used a lawyer were asked about charitable bequests, yet 30% say they'd like to leave one (Minderoo Feb 2026).

Pillar 2: Supporting Client Choice

Considering how firms might ensure that when a client chooses to include charitable intent, that choice is fully supported. This includes exploring whether firm policies and precedents inadvertently disincentivise philanthropy conversations, for example where standard will precedents don't prompt for charitable intent. Our intent is to work with firms to explore practical ways to ensure charitable intent is invited and documented, so practitioners can act in the client's best interests with confidence and neutrality.

Pillar 3: Capability and Confidence

Offering practical, short-form learning to help legal practitioners feel more confident discussing philanthropy if a client wishes to explore it. This might include understanding PAFs, testamentary trusts, and referral to philanthropic advisory or community foundations. The focus is on general awareness and respectful referral, not specific charity advice.

Pillar 4: Trusted Referral Pathways

Helping legal practitioners connect clients who express interest with appropriate specialist support, whether that be philanthropic advisory, community foundations, or charity law specialists. The intent is a light-touch panel of known pathways, to avoid practitioners feeling they need to hold all the expertise themselves.

Pillar 5: Learning and Insight

Voluntarily and confidentially understanding what is happening across the sector, so we can share back de-identified insights about emerging interests and needs. This is intended to help the sector, and to inform broader efforts to double giving by 2030. No client data is involved, and all reporting would be aggregated and anonymised.

How We're Working

We are currently speaking with a small group of law firms to co-design Standard v1.0 Legal. This is a consultation draft. Feedback is welcome on language, feasibility and what would make this genuinely useful to increase philanthropy conversations in wills. Design Partners in Year 1 would participate on a no-fee basis with a short individual consultation at a time that suits you. We would value your perspective.

This document is shared for consultation purposes. We are seeking feedback from legal professionals to co-design Standard v1.0 Legal.

Contact Dustin at dustin@philanthropy-ready.com or 0499799130 to contribute ideas, review the detailed criteria, or discuss becoming certified as Philanthropy-Ready.