Will Aid needs you!

I’d like to encourage as many Scottish solicitors as possible to take part in the 2011 Will Aid campaign taking place this November.

Last year, the campaign raised £1.5 million for the associated charities, which include ActionAid, Sightsavers and NSPCC, beating the previous best of £1.25 million achieved in 2009.

Many people confessed that, without it, they wouldn’t have bothered to get around to writing their will. And around 70% cent of people in Scotland are currently still without one.

As the scheme always has many thousand more enquiries than its enlisted solicitors can accommodate, it has the potential to be even bigger and better. But for this to happen, more solicitors need to take part.

The scheme can also be a potent boost to business. We’ve been involved for the last two years and it has allowed us to help clients we might not otherwise have met, through identifying additional needs such as granting power of attorney, trust deeds, and more complex wills. On top of this, we received numerous referrals from clients who recommended us to their family and friends.

We managed to raise £6,651 for charity through taking part in the 2010 scheme, more than double what we raised the previous year. Clients came to us as a result of local and national publicity.

I think of them as potential long-term clients. From this perspective, it’s the easiest form of marketing you might ever engage in.

Please consider taking part in Will Aid this November. You can sign up online at www.willaid.org.uk, call 01460 271178, or email enquiries@willaid.org.uk.