29 Daniel Goldgut, Co-Founder & CEO, Epilogue A A quiet but meaningful shift is happen- ing in estate planning, and it’s one that will have a big impact on legacy giving. In countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and increasingly here in Canada, online Wills have become a more common way for people to plan their estates. According to research from UK-based charity consultancy Legacy Futures, 10% of Will-makers in the UK used an online platform to do so, and 20% of people who plan to make a Will intend to use an online platform. The study also found that people who created their Will online were more likely to include a gift to charity than those who used the traditional approach. That’s the part charities should pay attention to. Online Wills don’t just make it easier to create a Will, they also represent an opportunity to get more people thinking about leaving a gift to charity and make it easier for them to follow through. What is an online Will? Despite their increase in popularity, there’s still plenty of confusion around what an “online Will” actually is. Many financial advisors, fundraisers, and even some lawyers aren’t entirely sure how it works—so, here’s a quick prim- er. The traditional way of making a Will involves working with a lawyer or notary (depending on where you live) who drafts your Will based on your specific circumstances and wishes. However, many people do not realize that there is no legal requirement to involve a lawyer or notary in the pro- cess. In fact, a person can create a legally binding Will entirely on their own. Online Will platforms are designed to guide someone through the Will- making process, step-by-step. The pro- cess usually starts with the person answering a series of questions about themselves and their family. From there, the Will-maker can name execu- tors, identify guardians for minor chil- dren and pets, and choose how their family members, friends, and charities will share in their estate. Once all that information is entered, the platform generates a personalized legal docu- ment based on the individual’s wishes. Once a Will is created through a digi- tal, online process, it must still be signed in accordance with the laws of the person’s province of residence in order to be valid. Online Will plat- forms provide clear, step-by-step instructions to ensure this final step is done correctly. In Canada, this typically means the Will-maker must print the Will so they can sign it in the presence of two witnesses, who also sign the document. Once these steps are com- pleted, the Will becomes legally valid. One important clarification: an online Will is not the same as an electronic Will. An electronic Will is a digital doc- ument that is signed through a plat- form like DocuSign and stored online. While many US states have enacted laws which permit electronic Wills, British Columbia is the only Canadian province that has done so; however, they are not very common. Online Will platforms aren’t right for everyone Online Wills aren’t the right fit for everyone, and many modern platforms make that clear. Epilogue’s online Will platform uses a series of screening questions to identify complex situa- tions. For example, if a Will-maker has a blended family or wants to disinherit a child, they are directed to work with a lawyer to create their Will instead of creating it online. For individuals who have relatively straightforward needs, the process of making a Will online creates opportu- nities for meaningful conversations, including whether to leave a gift to charity. Why online Wills create new oppor- tunities for legacy giving Online Wills are quickly becoming a powerful tool for generating gifts in Wills. Here’s why: 1. Making Will-making accessible to more people Roughly half of Canadian adults still The Rise of Online Wills — and What It Means for Charitable Giving WILLS
