Will Week

While these are options to consider, they are not the only ones. One benefit of choosing to work with the Foundation for your legacy planning is that we can accept a variety of assets, including complex securities and more. We often advise individuals to consult their financial advisor or tax professional who have a full understanding of your financial resources to best determine which assets are strategically suitable for your various goals.

And while you can name charitable beneficiaries in your will, legacy planning with the Foundation may provide you with more flexibility or security in ensuring that your charitable intentions are fulfilled over time, and it may also be more beneficial to the charity or charities that you wish to support.

Planned giving is suitable for anyone who is charitable, but who may not have the financial means to make gifts during their lifetime. Maybe you are someone that needs your assets to live comfortably during your lifetime but would like to leave a charitable legacy when you are no longer here. Establishing a planned gift allows you to achieve this goal and support organizations and causes that are align with your values as part of your legacy.

While there are numerous ways to provide a planned gift, the most common – a bequest – is quite simple and does not require you to make any financial contribution during your lifetime. You simply work with Foundation staff to outline your charitable intentions in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and determine which assets you want to direct to the Foundation when you are no longer living.

Planned gift can be structured to achieve all your goals – supporting loved ones and charity. With guidance from your financial advisor, you may learn that leaving even a small gift to your organization will still leave enough to support your family. Also, when you factor in the tax situation for your estate, you may be able to donate more than you thought.

We encourage you to share your plans with your family which creates a legacy that is about more than money.

p> Most planned giving options are revocable, and you can update your Memorandum of Understanding with the Foundation, which captures your charitable intentions, at any time. Another advantage of working with the Foundation for your legacy planning is you can identify broad areas that you would like to support, such as basic needs, the environment, arts/culture and more and we will fulfill your wishes when you are no longer here. As a pillar of the community, you can also entrust the Foundation to direct your resources to support ongoing and evolving needs in the community with unrestricted support because your fund will live on forever.