When you think about the legacy you’ll leave behind, what comes to mind?
For many, it’s the impact they’ve made on the people and causes they care most about. Is there a nonprofit organization that you currently support, or want to support, that reflects your values well? Consider this: you can leave a charitable gift as a part of your estate plan, also known as planned giving. This act can be one of the most powerful ways to ensure you can leave a lasting legacy.
Planned giving allows you to align your legacy with the causes that matter most to you—whether it’s supporting children in need, fighting climate change, advancing medical research, or fostering education.
At Trust & Will, we’re proud to empower individuals to leave a meaningful mark through simple, accessible estate planning tools.
What Is Planned Giving?
Planned giving involves including charitable gifts (donations) in your estate plan. These gifts often come in the form of:
Bequests: A donation outlined in your Will or Trust.
Beneficiary designations: Naming a nonprofit as the beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, or investment account.
Charitable trusts or annuities: More complex options that provide benefits to both you and the nonprofit. Trust & Will currently does not offer this product or service. However, we are always expanding and improving upon our platform to better serve our members.
After you pass away, your estate executor, or trustee if the organization is the beneficiary of a trust, will be responsible for ensuring that your planned gift is provided to the organization(s) of your choosing.
Planned giving is not reserved for the wealthy. Any contribution, no matter the size, can make a difference. It’s about expressing your values and creating a ripple effect of positive change.
The Legacy Connection: Why Charitable Giving Leaves a Lasting Positive Impact
Leaving a charitable gift is more than a financial act—it’s a reflection of the life you lived and the causes you championed. Here’s how planned giving helps you leave a lasting legacy:
1. Supporting the Causes You Care About
When you include a nonprofit in your estate plan, you provide long-term support to a mission that aligns with your values. Whether it’s funding scholarships, advancing medical breakthroughs, or providing food and resources to vulnerable communities, your gift ensures the causes closest to your heart continue to thrive.
2. Inspiring Others
Your commitment to giving can inspire family, friends, and future generations to follow your example. When loved ones see the passion and purpose behind your legacy, it creates a ripple effect, encouraging them to consider the impact they want to leave behind.
3. Preserving Your Values
Planned giving allows you to embed your values into the future. It ensures your story is told, your beliefs are honored, and the causes that shaped your life receive meaningful support.
4. Creating Hope for Future Generations
The challenges we face today—whether social, environmental, or economic—won’t be solved overnight. Your planned gift provides hope and resources for the future, helping nonprofits make sustainable progress in their missions.
How Trust & Will Simplifies Planned Giving
At Trust & Will, we make it easy to incorporate charitable giving into your estate plan. With our user-friendly platform, you can:
Clearly outline your intentions in your Will or Trust.
Name nonprofits as beneficiaries in your accounts.
Rest assured knowing your wishes are legally documented.
Planned giving doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to navigate it alone. Trust & Will ensures the process is simple, transparent, and tailored to your needs. Even if you might not have a nonprofit in mind, we also partner with a number of great organizations that you can choose from.
How to Get Started with Planned Giving
Leaving a charitable gift starts with deciding which organizations align with your values. Once you’ve chosen, follow these steps:
Decide on the type of gift: Bequests, beneficiary designations, or other options.
Include the nonprofit in your estate plan: Trust & Will will help you ensure your gift is clearly outlined.
Notify the nonprofit: Let the organization know about your planned gift so they can honor your wishes and express their gratitude. Learn more about why it’s important to notify your nonprofit about your planned gift here.
Your Legacy, Your Way
Planned giving offers a unique opportunity to make a difference that outlasts your lifetime. By leaving a charitable gift in your estate plan, you create a legacy of compassion and purpose.
Take the first step toward building your legacy today with Trust & Will. We make it easy and accessible for anyone to create their legacy and leave a lasting positive impact on the world.
Ready to get started? At Trust & Will, we’re here to help keep things simple. You can create a fully customizable, state-specific estate plan from the comfort of your own home. Our users have left over one billion dollars (and counting) to nonprofit organizations through estate plans created on the Trust & Will platform. Take our free quiz to see where you should get started, or compare our different estate planning and settlement options today!
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Trust & Will is an online service providing legal forms and information. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice.
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