Creating a Legacy of Hope: A Guide to Leaving a Gift in Your Will to Support Parkinson’s Research

Thursday, 29th January 2026

Planning for the future is one of the most meaningful things we can do for the people and causes we care deeply about. Making or updating your Will ensures your wishes are honoured, and it can also create a lasting legacy that helps change the future of Parkinson’s research.

For many supporters of Shake It Up Australia, leaving a gift in their Will is a powerful way to advance Australian‑led scientific breakthroughs that improve lives today and bring us closer to a cure.

This guide brings together clear, friendly information to help you understand how easy and impactful it can be to leave a legacy that endures.

Why Having an Up‑to‑Date Will Matters

A Will outlines how your assets should be distributed, how dependents will be cared for, and what personal wishes should be respected. Without one, state intestacy laws determine what happens to your estate – a process that may not reflect your values or intentions.

Regular reviews are important, especially after life changes such as selling assets, marriage, divorce, births, or the loss of beneficiaries. Minor adjustments can be made via a codicil, while significant changes typically require a new Will.

Storing your Will safely and informing your executor ensures it can be accessed when needed.

Your Legacy and the Impact of a Gift in Your Will

A bequest to Shake It Up Australia supports groundbreaking research that aims to improve treatments and ultimately find a cure for Parkinson’s. Whether large or small, every planned gift helps drive progress for the 200,000+ Australians living with the disease today.

Although more than two‑thirds of Australians consider leaving a charitable gift, only 6.5% actually do, meaning your decision has extraordinary potential to create meaningful impact.

Choosing to leave a bequest to Shake It Up is a meaningful way to advance Parkinson’s research and create a lasting legacy. Shake It Up is a registered charity with ACNC and a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status which allows Shake It Up to receive your gift in a tax-effective manner, provided your estate is structured with care.

Making Your Will and Estate Administration Count: Tax-Effective Giving to Shake It Up Australia

A thoughtfully planned charitable bequest not only expresses your values but also ensures your generosity has the greatest possible impact. By structuring your gift carefully, you can avoid unnecessary tax being paid by your estate, allowing more of your legacy to support the causes you care about.

In particular, leaving a bequest to a charity that holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status means your gift can be transferred in a tax‑effective way. Without this status, your estate may incur avoidable tax liabilities, which can unintentionally diminish the value of your gift and reduce the difference you intended to make.

Making Your Gift Tax‑Effective

With careful planning and by choosing a registered DGR charity, your gift to Shake It Up Australia Foundation Trust can go further, helping make a bigger impact with your precious legacy.

Because Shake It Up Australia Foundation Trust is a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), gifts in Wills can be structured in highly tax‑efficient ways.

Capital gains tax is generally disregarded when gifting property, shares, or other CGT assets directly to a DGR charity. This means the full value of the asset goes to the charity, and the estate avoids unnecessary tax burdens.

Executors can avoid triggering CGT by transferring an asset directly to Shake It Up rather than selling it to fund a monetary bequest.

Be sure to use the correct legal entity details:

Shake It Up Australia Foundation Trust
ABN 65 270 391 304

Create or Update Your Will Easily, Free With Gathered Here

As a valued partner of Shake It Up, Gathered Here offers supporters a free, legally valid online Will, completed in under 10 minutes, with unlimited updates for life.

You can access Shake It Up’s dedicated Gathered Here page here.

With Gathered Here you can:

Nominate executors
Appoint guardians
Divide your estate
Include charitable gifts
Specify funeral wishes

Why Support Shake It Up Australia?

Shake It Up is one of the nation’s leading funders of Parkinson’s research, partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to accelerate discoveries. Since 2011, we have co‑funded more than 90 research projects to the value of $40 million across Australia – all made possible because 100% of every donation goes directly to research.

A gift in your Will strengthens this powerful, forward‑looking mission.

How to Leave a Gift to Shake It Up

Speak with your family about your intentions.
Create or update your Will with a solicitor or via Gathered Here.
Let Shake It Up know, so we can welcome you into the Parkinson’s Legacy League.
Consider working with Shake It Up to develop your personalised Bequest Plan, ensuring that we have clearly captured and understand your wishes.

Your Legacy of Hope

A gift in your Will is one of the most meaningful contributions you can make – one that empowers researchers, supports families, and helps bring us closer to a world without Parkinson’s.

For more information about leaving a gift in your will to the Shake It Up Australia Foundation, please download our BEQUEST INFORMATION PACK.