Peter de Vena Franks
By volunteering your time and expertise during Will Aid, you’ll not only be raising vital donations for nine amazing charities, but also generating a host of benefits for your firm Taking part will increase your firm’s profile, attract new clients and boost staff morale too.
Will Aid is the partnership between the legal profession and nine of the UK’s best-loved charities. The initiative, which has been running for more than 30 years, sees participating solicitors waive their fee for writing basic Wills every November. Instead, they invite clients to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid – a suggested £100 for a single basic Will and £180 for a pair of basic ‘mirror’ Wills.
It’s easy to sign up and get involved, simply complete one simple form to register your interest. Keep reading for our seven top reasons for joining in the Will Aid campaign this year:
1. Get in touch to sign up or find out more
Simply fill out a form in their mailing or sign up on the Will Aid website to let them know you’re interested in taking part. Participants are listed on the Will Aid website from September, at which point enquiries can start coming in you can then either book people in for Will Aid month in November, or start seeing them right away.
2. Expand your client list
It’s easy to choose whether you receive local client enquiries or increase your clientele even further by signing up to Will Aid’s remote list. Will Aid participant Emma Aslett, from Penn Chambers Solicitors, said: “Will Aid is a fantastic opportunity to do three things at once: get more clients through the door, give back to the community and help charities do the vital work they do.”
3. Easily manage your workload
One of the main advantages of being involved in the Will Aid campaign is that you are in control of your workload. You decide how many clients you see making it easy to manage alongside other commitments. When you reach capacity, you can let the Will Aid team know and they will stop any further enquiries.
4. Raise your profile
The publicity Will Aid generates every year will bring you plenty of new enquiries. Will Aid have a dedicated PR team who will support you with your promotional efforts, ensuring as many people as possible are aware of your participation in the initiative.
5. Boost team morale
Being part of a charity campaign gives everyone in the office a sense of greater purpose, knowing that their efforts are making a real difference to the work of the nine partner charities.
6. Raise vital funds
Solicitors have been raising money for some of the UK’s leading charities through Will Aid since 1988. In that time, over £24 million has been donated in donations, and many millions more in pledged charitable legacies. Simply by writing basic Wills, you are helping to raise thousands of pounds for the partner charities.
7. Help people who need a will
In addition to supporting the work of Will Aid’s partner charities, being part of the campaign helps support those who haven’t made a will before. Lauren Smith, Partner at Taylor Bracewell, said: “There is a great satisfaction that comes from helping people who haven’t done a Will for many reasons. Some people just cannot afford it or feel too scared to do it.”
Ready to help people, attract new clients and change lives for the better? To take part in Will Aid, return the form enclosed in your letter, call the Will Aid team on 0300 0300 013 or visit willaid.org.uk/solicitors/register