EveryWill launches US platform after AUD $2 billion pledges

EveryWill has launched its digital wills platform in the US, after users in Australia and New Zealand pledged AUD $2 billion in charitable gifts through the service.

The business was founded by Colin Wong, a former corporate lawyer who moved into end-of-life planning after helping his family compare funeral costs following a death. He launched funeral comparison platform Gathered Here in 2017, before expanding into wills in 2021.

EveryWill lets people write a will online for free, with charities funding the platform. Users complete the document online, then print it for signing and witnessing, and can later update it at no cost.

Wong said the idea grew out of discussions with charities about how they handled gifts left in wills. Many organisations, he said, still relied on manual processes and had limited visibility over pledges made by supporters before estates were settled.

At the end of 2021, the platform had 74 charity partners. That has since grown to more than 1,400, while more than 230,000 people have used the service to write a will in Australia and New Zealand.

The AUD $2 billion figure refers to pledged gifts in wills, not funds already received by charities. Participating charities can use branded versions of the platform, promote themselves to will writers and access data on donor pledges.

EveryWill also gives AUD $1 to charity for each will written on the platform. Wong said the broader aim was to remove cost as a barrier to making a will while also increasing charitable giving.

"It's hard enough losing someone without having to play detective on prices," said Colin Wong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EveryWill.

He linked that experience to a broader view of end-of-life administration. "I came away realising that so much of end-of-life planning is more complex than it needs to be," Wong said.

Charity model

The company's model centres on charity-funded access for consumers. In return for covering the cost, charities get a branded platform and information on gifts pledged by supporters, giving them earlier insight than waiting for estates to be administered.

Wong said the approach reflects the long-term nature of this part of fundraising. "These teams do work that matters, and they were flying blind," he said.

He added that the scale of usage matters as much as the value of pledged gifts. "The dollars get the attention, but the number I think about is 230,000," Wong said. "That's 230,000 families who won't have to guess what someone wanted."

Wider access

Wong argued that wills are too often treated narrowly as an administrative task, rather than a personal decision about family, beneficiaries and charitable support. He said that framing had shaped how the market operates and who can easily access services.

"Most people think of writing a will as death admin, and that framing has shaped an entire industry," Wong said. "But it's one of the rare moments in life when you sit down and think about the life you've built, the people you love, the causes you care about and the legacy you want to leave."

He said cost should not prevent people from completing a will. "Cost shouldn't be a barrier," Wong said. "We built EveryWill so everyone gets that chance, 100% for free. Greater access means more gifts in wills, so more charities get the support they need and more people make a difference that outlives them. At scale, wills have the potential to change the world."