An excellent way for you to support The Salvation Army's mission is to leave a bequest in your will, living trust or with a codicil. One significant benefit of making a gift by bequest is that it allows you to continue to use the property during your lifetime that you will leave to charity at your death. Another benefit is that you can leave a lasting legacy.
Add-Interested in directing that legacy gift to your hometown?
- We can provide you the proper legal language.
How can I learn more?
How do I make a bequest?
A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an advisor and your Salvation Army gift planning professional you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift be made to family, friends or The Salvation Army as part of your estate plan.
What are the Benefits of making a Bequest?
A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time. You can choose to designate 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. If you are interested in directing that legacy gift to a specific Salvation Army area or program , we can provide you the
proper legal language.
You can
contact our office or your area of residence for additional benefits and an individualized consultation with your local Gift Planning Professional.
Types of Bequests
There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to The Salvation Army.
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 Salvation Army.
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 Salvation Army.
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 Salvation Army.
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 Salvation Army.
How do I get started?
