Tracey King is a development manager leading the rapidly expanding gifts in wills programme at Deakin University, one of Australia’s youngest and most progressive universities. With a diverse background in hospitality and small business ownership in the regional city of Bendigo, King pivoted careers to the charity sector in Melbourne eight years ago, with roles at World Vision Australia, Cancer Council Victoria, Wesley Mission, and Uniting. It was her experiences in these roles that led to her specialising in the gifts in wills space. 

Since starting at Deakin University in 2018, King has expanded the pipeline by almost 300% and built a five-year strategic plan which includes a gifts in wills digital acquisition campaign in 2021, a first for any university in Australia. 

In this past year, King also co-created a Gifts in Wills University Network to share best practices and knowledge amongst advancement peers. The group has quickly grown to include over 40 bequest specialists from across 30 universities throughout Australia and New Zealand.