The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's Bequest Language
An excellent way for you to leave your legacy and support The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's mission is to leave a bequest in your will, living trust or with a codicil to establish a new fund or add to an existing fund.
The steps to include a gift in your will are simple:
1. Working with us and your financial or legal advisor, you may designate your bequest gift to add to, or create, your endowed fund or one of our existing community funds. Your gift can be in the form of cash, securities, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate or other tangible personal property.
2. Name your fund. If you are creating a new fund, you can name it to honor a member of your family, a friend or a mentor.
3. Tell us how you want your gift to be used. We will work with you and/or your advisor to create an agreement for your fund, a simple signed document that clearly states your wishes. This Fund Agreement allows you to name the fund your gift will create, identify any fund advisors, specify your charitable interest areas, and even express a desire for anonymity. If you change your mind at any time, we can simply change your agreement without any costs or legal assistance.
A significant benefit to making a gift by bequest is that it allows you to continue to use the assets that you plan to leave to a charity during your life.
Types of Bequests
There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to a fund with The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Specific Bequest. A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car, other property or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Percentage Bequest. Another kind of specific bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Percentage Bequest. Another kind of specific bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Bequest Benefits
A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time.
You can choose to designate that a bequest be used for a general or specific purpose so you have the peace of mind knowing that your gift will be used as intended.
Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs.
Bequest Language
In order to make a bequest, you should speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley in your estate plan. We have provided some basic bequest language to assist you and your attorney.
1. Specific Bequest
If you are considering making an outright bequest to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, we recommend the following language:
Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount
I hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
Bequest of Specific Personal Property
I hereby give, devise and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
Bequest of Specific Real Estate
I hereby give, devise and bequeath all of the right, title and interest in and to the real estate located at ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
2. Percentage BequestI hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
Bequest of Specific Personal Property
I hereby give, devise and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
Bequest of Specific Real Estate
I hereby give, devise and bequeath all of the right, title and interest in and to the real estate located at ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
If you are considering making a bequest of a percentage of your estate to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, we recommend the following language:
I hereby give, devise and bequeath ____ percent (___%) of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
3. Residual Bequest
I hereby give, devise and bequeath to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
4. Contingent Bequest
If (primary beneficiary) does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization located at 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, Federal Tax ID #23-7026859, DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to be used for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's general use and purpose.
Restricted Bequests
If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure that your bequest will be used for a specific purpose, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your attorney to help you identify ways to give and meet your charitable objectives. We will also work with you and your attorney to craft language to accomplish your goals.
If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that your attorney include the following provision to give The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley flexibility should it no longer be possible for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley to use your gift as you originally intended:
If, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, it shall become impossible for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley may use the income and principal of this gift for such purpose or purposes as the Board determines is most closely related to the restricted purpose of my bequest.
Contact Us
Please contact us if you have any questions about how to make a bequest to The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley or to request any additional information that might be helpful to you and your attorney as you consider making a bequest to us.
If you have included a bequest for The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley in your estate plan, please contact us to let us know. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.
