August is recognized as National Make-A-Will Month. By making a will, people assure their possessions are passed along exactly as they see fit. The lack of a will can create turmoil for families left to deal with the assets a person has accumulated. As of 2022, 67% of Americans don’t have a valid will according to a report by CNBC.
The organization FreeWill partners with nonprofits to encourage folks to use their website to make a will for free. If they would like to, the option is given to include nonprofits that cater to a cause they believe in as legacy gifts. FreeWill recently celebrated the millionth will created on its platform, according to a FreeWill representative.
“Leaving nonprofits in your will is a really wonderful way to support nonprofit organizations that you’ve cared about in your lifetime,” said Jamie Abbott, executive director of Carbondale Arts. “It’s also kind of a tax tool to help your family offset some of the taxes that happen later,” she added. Carbondale Arts has seen over 100 wills made on FreeWill through their referral link alone.
While most folks wait until they’re older to make a will, it doesn’t hurt to make one as a young adult as well. “Most people don’t think about it until they have children, but you can make one as soon as you’re an adult and responsible for yourself,” Abbott said.
Carbondale Arts’ formal legacy program is relatively new; they first launched it only two years ago. Despite that, Abbott said they’ve already received transformative gifts in the past few years. “When these gifts come to fruition, they can be completely transformative for an organization to receive,” Abbott said. “These kinds of legacy gifts are huge for organizations.”
For many nonprofits, receiving legacy gifts allows them to be more stable by adding the gifts to their reserve funds, launching new programming and even starting endowments. For example, community member Mary Lilly died April 26, 2016 and specified The Sopris Sun, Aspen Music Festival and School and KDNK as beneficiaries of her will, which left a sizable impact for all three organizations.
“The message of it all, especially in small towns with more average means, is that when we do leave gifts in our will, whether that’s property or legacy gifts, it’s an opportunity to be tremendously helpful to family members and organizations as they go on,” Abbott said.
When it comes to choosing an organization to put in your will, FreeWill allows you to name specific programs you would like your bequest to go toward. If you’re looking for a charity or nonprofit organization to donate to, Charity Navigator is a free online tool that can help you find charities that align with your values. The site independently reviews nonprofits and provides details about them and their mission.

For more information, visit FreeWill.com