Free will-writing service

Gifts in Wills pay for over a third of our development work. Without them, we’d have to turn down one in three requests for help. With a gift in your Will, many more families can access nourishing food, clean water, and the tools they need to build a better life and a brighter future.

That's why we offer a free Will-writing service – to help you make your Will and look after the people and causes you care about most.

Choose from three options

Online

Make your Will for free online with Octopus Legacy (formerly Guardian Angel)

You can make your Will at any time from the comfort of your own home, using a template approved by solicitors.

Choose this service

Face-to-face

Make your Will for free with a local solicitor

You can choose from a list of local participating solicitors and meet at their office to discuss your wishes and prepare your Will.

Choose this service

Over the phone

Make your Will for free over the phone with the Co-op

You can make your Will with an advisor from the comfort of your home. Appointments are available six days a week including evenings.

Choose this service

What our supporters say

Making a Will requires thought, but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. Our free Will options help you provide for your family and friends and also share your blessings with your global family.

“The solicitor was very good and the process very quick and painless. We both like the idea of leaving a charitable legacy and CAFOD was the obvious choice for us. We know the difference CAFOD makes every day to the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.”

Imelda and Chris, who wrote their wills using the National Free Wills Network

“I decided to leave a gift to CAFOD in my will and so I used the Co-op telephone service. It was very positive and straightforward”

Michelle, who wrote her will using the Co-op telephone service

CAFOD's Free Will Service FAQs

CAFOD offer three options to help you make or update your will for free. You can:

Make your Will in person with a local solicitor through the Free Wills Network. The Network will send you a list of your nearest participating solicitors and a voucher to take to your appointment. You can meet with your chosen solicitor at their local office to discuss your wishes and prepare your Will. This is a good option if you would like to make your Will face-to-face with a solicitor. Choose this service
Make your Will over the phone with Co-op Legal Services. Appointments are available six days a week including evenings. This is a good option if you would prefer to make your Will from your home but would also like to discuss your wishes with an advisor. Choose this service
Make your Will for free online with Octopus Legacy. You can make your Will at any time from the comfort of your own home, using a template approved by solicitors. This is a good option if you have a firm idea of what you want to include in your Will and you don’t need professional advice. Choose this service

Gifts in Wills are essential to CAFOD's work – they fund a third of our international development work. But we know many people put off writing their Wills because of the cost and time involved. Our service makes it easier for people to put their plans in place. We hope that the more people who are writing their Wills, the more people that will consider remembering CAFOD's work with a gift.

CAFOD will cover the cost of your Will but please be assured we pay lower fees than you would have to incur yourself. We cover this cost to enable our supporters to make their Wills, and we do hope that they will consider a gift to CAFOD, although there is no obligation.

Each service only covers a simple Will or a pair of simple mirror Wills for a couple. This is adequate for most people but if you have a more complex estate, such as including businesses or you need to set up trust funds, these areas may not be covered by a simple Will. You can still use the Network or the Co-op to do this, but you will have to pay the difference (the cost of a simple Will will be deducted from your bill). The online service is only recommended for simple Wills which need no professional advice.

CAFOD offer this service to our friends as a thank you for their support and commitment. You are under no obligation to include a gift to CAFOD in your Will. However, we would appreciate it if supporters would consider remembering the communities we work with by leaving a gift to CAFOD, to ensure the work they care about will be able to continue in the future.