Member Support: Make a Lasting Difference

All around the country, foundations and non-profits are participating in a new program called “Leave a Legacy,” a campaign to increase public awareness about the importance of charitable giving through wills or other estate gifts. North Americans are generous with their time and money—giving more than $160 billion dollars annually. But many people are unaware that by making a gift in their will or estate plan, they can continue to promote a favorite cause, and that there may be major tax benefits to these gifts. Others may not realize that bequests can be made by people of a wide variety of financial back-grounds…they are not just a giving option for the very rich.

Here are things you can do today to leave a legacy:

1. Prepare a will. Many people do not have one, yet a will is essential to ensure that your wishes will be carried out.

2. Leave a gift in your will to sustain PCRM’s vital work. Less than 6 percent of American households have included any non-profits at all in an estate plan, yet a bequest can often be the most important donation we make. Gifts can be listed as a specific dollar amount, a percentage of the estate, or as a residual gift.

3. Consider property gifts. Gifts of property are just as welcome and helpful as gifts of cash. Stocks, bonds, CDs, real estate, vehicles, art, and jewelry all make excellent gifts and may provide tax benefits for your estate.

4. You can name PCRM as the beneficiary of your pension plan or IRA. Retirement plan assets that are left to someone other than a spouse are taxed at very high rates, up to 75 percent. Many individuals choose charitable organizations as beneficiaries, thus avoiding estate and income taxation of these assets.

5. Encourage family and friends to leave gifts to non-profits in their wills or estate plans.

If you’d like more information on how to include PCRM in your will and would like a copy of our brochure Making Gifts and Bequests to PCRM, or have already included PCRM in your estate plan through your will, a trust arrangement, or life insurance/retirement, please contact Betsy Wason at  bwason@PCRM.org.