HUNTSVILLE – Several local nonprofit organizations have launched WillPower, an educational campaign as part of National Estate Planning Awareness Week, Oct. 18-24.

The collaborative is aimed at encouraging donors to leave a portion of their estate to charity. The goal is to create a legacy that benefits donors, their heirs, and charitable organizations.

Karen Mockensturm, executive director of Fantasy Playhouse, said her group is honoring donors by inducting them into a legacy donor tier called “Spotlight Society.”

“At (Fantasy Playhouse), we believe that every child in our region has the right to access quality arts education opportunities,” she said. “Your planned giving will help us continue the magic of theatre and directly influence (Fantasy Playhouse)’s ability to provide services to the next generation of Alabama families.”

While 63% of Americans make charitable donations during their lifetimes, only 8% include a gift to charity in their estate plans. WillPower hopes to change that.

WillPower educates donors on collaborating with their financial advisor or attorney to donate even a tiny portion of their estate to a charity through a will or bequest, a beneficiary designation, or a life insurance policy.

The organizations in the WillPower collaborative are Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama; Burritt on the Mountain; Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville; Drake State Community & Technical College; Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy; Food Bank of North Alabama; HEALS; Heart of the Valley YMCA; HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology; Huntsville Botanical Garden; Huntsville Hospital Foundation; Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Foundation; Huntsville-Madison County Library Foundation; National Children’s Advocacy Centers; Still Serving Veterans; Thrive Alabama; U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation; the University of Alabama in Huntsville; and WellStone.