Where’s There’s a Will, There’s A Way: Giving While Living!
You can make a lasting legacy contribution to the preservation of West Marin by including EAC in your planned estate giving strategies, including leaving a bequest. Remembering EAC with a bequest from your estate will help sustain and strengthen our mission for years to come.
A bequest is a gift from your estate—a transfer of cash, securities, or other property made through your estate plans. You can make a bequest to EAC by including language in your will or living trust listing EAC as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance policy. You can set aside a specific dollar amount, percentage of your estate, or any additional assets available after the family has been provided for.
Some of the advantages of creating a bequest include:
A bequest costs nothing now, yet gives you the satisfaction of knowing you have provided for EAC in the future.
You retain control of and use of your assets during your lifetime.
You may modify your bequest if your circumstances change.
Gifts to EAC from your estate are exempt from federal estate taxes.
If you let us know of your plans, we will be able to thank you now and recognize you as a member of our Legacy Circle.
PLANNING YOUR BEQUEST
When planning for a bequest, you will need to consider how you would like your gift to be used to benefit EAC’s mission—whether unrestricted in purpose or restricted to a specific purpose, and whether you would like it to be an expendable fund (to be spent when received) or an endowed fund (to last in perpetuity).
An unrestricted bequest allows us to determine how to use the funds based on our most pressing needs. Unrestricted bequests are extremely valuable because we can use them flexibly to meet the nonprofit’s goals and needs.
A restricted bequest directs assets to a specific fund or purpose. A restricted bequest may be for an expendable or endowed fund. Because each restricted bequest is unique, we encourage donors considering this type of gift to speak with our staff to ensure the proper language and need.
Expendable funds are used in their entirety, generally within a relatively short time frame. Some larger expendable gifts are used over longer periods.
Endowed funds provide income every year in perpetuity to carry out the designated purpose of the fund. Note that endowed funds have minimum required amounts. Please speak with our staff if you are considering a bequest to establish an endowed fund.
EAC has an endowment with Marin Community Foundation, and gifts can be designated to The West Marin Environmental Action Fund at the Marin Community Foundation. The fund supports EAC’s work to protect West Marin and is able to accept cash, securities, bequests, retirement plan assets and life insurance. Please contact us first if you planned to add to this fund.
In addition, please contact your tax-advisor for specific laws, and rules for giving.
Questions?
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