Bequests & Endowment Fund

Compose your legacy by leaving a bequest to WASO in your Will and ensure the music keeps on playing. If WASO has played an important role in your past, we invite you to play a role in its future.

A simple, rewarding and versatile way to support us for years to come is a gift in your Will, also known as a charitable bequest. Bequests are a wonderful way of making a positive statement about what you believe in and can ensure that not only your loved ones, but also the cultural organisations that left an impact on your life, are looked after long after you are gone. Looking to the future, these are very special gifts that we preserve as your musical legacy. They are also advantageous to you - WASO is a deductible gift recipient, so a bequest may have favourable tax consequences for your estate.

WASO is a charitable organisation reaching over 200,000 people annually and we increasingly rely on the support of our philanthropic community. Monies from bequests are invested and preserved in the Endowment Fund for the Orchestra and the income earned, less inflation, is used to support WASO’s activities for many years into the future. This means that your money lives on forever, providing support for the development of young artists, regional touring, the commissioning of new musical works and WASO’s award-winning Education and Community Engagement programs.

WASO’s mission is to touch souls and enrich lives through music. Our bequest program is not designed for the rich but rather for the enriched, and we hope you will join us in making sure the music keeps on playing. 

Estate planning is for everyone.

Sometimes people feel they have nothing to give or do not have the means to contribute during their lifetime. You can, however, plan for the future by leaving a bequest through the distribution of your assets, regardless of your age or financial situation. This ensures your own peace of mind while providing for the future of the Orchestra by crowning your long relationship with it through a bequest.

As our activities and needs change over time, we encourage you to leave an unrestricted bequest for the general purposes of WASO rather than towards a specific project. A bequest of this kind enables WASO to direct your gift to the Endowment Fund for the Orchestra to help build a secure future for the Orchestra. This ensures your gift will be used where it is most needed, by underpinning the core mission of the Orchestra. If you do wish, however, to indicate a specific use for your legacy, we advise that you or your solicitor contact us as early as possible to discuss your intentions.

If you have already written your will and do not wish to make major changes, you can add a codicil (an amendment to an existing will) to include WASO. Your solicitor can help you with any changes. Please bear in mind that leaving a percentage rather than a dollar amount has the advantage of automatically keeping up with inflation, eliminating the need for you to update your will later on. We advise you to contact your financial or legal adviser as early as possible to discuss your intentions before leaving a bequest.

WASO’s Bequest Guiding Principles.

We deeply value our philanthropic partnerships and are interested in our Patrons’ stories and experiences.

• The Passion for the art form is at the centre of our conversations.

• We advise all prospective Bequestors to seek advice from their own solicitor, accountant or financial advisor.

• We are respectful of our Patrons’ privacy. All bequest enquiries are dealt with sensitively and in the strictest confidence. Upon becoming a Bequestor, anonymity will be respected if that is your preference.

• As WASO’s activities and needs change over time, we encourage Patrons to leave a bequest for the general purposes of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra rather than for a specific project. A general purpose bequest brings the most value to us as it underpins the core work of the Orchestra, rather than administration and overhead costs.

• All monies received from bequests, unless specified, will be invested and preserved in the Endowment Fund for the Orchestra, with the income earned being used to provide a stable financial future for the Orchestra. This way your money lives on forever.  

Please let us know.

Alerting us to a bequest you have made will allow us to thank you appropriately by welcoming you to WASO’s Symphony Circle. Being part of this community gives you access to exclusive events bringing you closer to your Orchestra, and will ensure your generous and forward-thinking support of the Orchestra is acknowledged on WASO’s website and in printed concert programs. Public acknowledgement can inspire others to remember us in their wills, but if anonymity is your preference, this will be respected.

If you would like to have a confidential conversation about leaving a bequest to WASO or would like to arrange a home appointment, please contact Liam Smith, Philanthropy Specialist, on (08) 9326 0016 or smithl@waso.com.au. Your enquiries are in no way binding and will be treated in the strictest confidence.