Thank you for your interest in financially supporting The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (the Friends). We welcome your interest.
The most effective way for individuals to support the Friends is by making a tax-deductible donation to the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Trust Fund (the Friends’ Trust Fund) or alternatively by leaving a gift or bequest through your Will. However, a bequest will not attract any tax deduction for your estate.
Membership
Join the Friends and support the Gardens. Take part in an exciting range of activities and events the Friends run for their members. The Friends are passionate supporters of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria providing financial and volunteer assistance for projects and events.
Annual Appeal
You may donate on-line to the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Trust Fund ABN 78 402 826 907 (the Friends’ Trust Fund) by clicking on the button below. You may do this at any time.
The Friend’s Trust Fund is a Deductible Gift Recipient and therefore, as an individual donor, you will qualify to receive a tax deduction for gifts greater than $2.00.
If you would first like to discuss this course, or explore other support options, including making a bequest in your Will, please feel free to speak to Peter Kelly, a past Chair of the Trust and a retired lawyer. Peter’s email address is apjkelly@gmail.com. Your inquiry will be treated with discretion and complete confidentiality.
Whether making a gift or bequest in your Will, we recommend that you first seek independent professional advice from a solicitor or financial adviser.
Make a gift or create a bequest in your Will
This is a way of making a lasting contribution to the Friend’s Trust Fund and its work. It has the advantage of enabling you to make a contribution that you may not be able to do during your lifetime.
There are different ways of including a gift or creating a bequest in your Will or via a codicil. (A codicil is a formal document signed and witnessed as for a Will, that alters or adds to a Will).
- you can leave all [or part of] the residue of your estate to the Friends’ Trust Fund after making provision for family and loved ones, and perhaps other gifts to individuals or organisations; a residual bequest will keep up with inflation.
- you can leave a nominated percentage of the value of your entire estate to the Friends’ Trust Fund.
- you can leave a specified sum of money to the Friends’ Trust Fund
- you can leave your entire estate to the Friends’ Trust Fund.
- you can leave a specific item of value, such as shares or real estate to the Friend’s Trust Fund.
The following are suggested formulations:
- Gift of a specific amount to the Friends’ Trust Fund
“I give, free of all duties and taxes, the sum of $ ## to The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Trust Fund ABN78 402 907 of 100 Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne 3004 (FRBGM) for its general purposes. I declare that the receipt of a proper officer for the time being of FRBGM will be a sufficient discharge for my trustees.”
- Gift of the whole or % of residuary estate to the Friends’ Trust Fund
“I give, free of all duties and taxes, [the whole] [or ## %] of my net real and personal estate to The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Trust Fund ABN78 402 907 of 100 Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne 3004 (FRBGM) for its general purposes. I declare that the receipt of a proper officer for the time being of FRBGM will be a sufficient discharge for my trustees.”
Where possible, we suggest you consider a residuary or percentage gift as they are less affected by inflation.
Making a gift or bequest for the “general purposes” of the FRBGM gives the FRBGM discretion to choose the most urgent or valuable way for deployment of the funds received.
However, you, as a bequestor, may wish to specify a particular cause, relevant to FRBGM, that you would like to be supported from the bequest, such as scholarships, or prizes, or for educational purposes or for travel for educational purposes; if so, that should be stated clearly in the bequest, and FRBGM would do its best to achieve its stated object.
Perhaps the next step is for you to make contact with Peter Kelly to take the matter further.