Most people commonly underestimate the value of what they own. They may not believe that they have an estate. However, if you own anything at all, you have an estate. This includes cash, real estate, all personal property, investments, retirement plan assets, life insurance and other forms of assets. A well-drafted will allows you to ensure that the assets that you have accumulated over your lifetime are distributed according to your wishes. Remembering the Humane Society in your will can ensure the care and humane treatment of animals in perpetuity.

You can name the Humane Society as a beneficiary by creating a new will, adding a codicil to your present will, or including the Humane Society in your revocable trust.

You can name Humane Society as either a direct beneficiary of a set amount of money, a specific asset (e.g. 100 shares of stock), or a percentage of your estate. A legacy to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington may take different forms, including...

· An outright bequest of cash, securities

· A beneficiary designation of a life insurance policy, a bank account, a retirement account

· A beneficiary of a living trust, or a testamentary trust

An individual may designate that a bequest be used for the general purposes of HSSW, or to support a specific program. The following is a suggested form for such a bequest...

Many companies encourage philanthropic interest among their employees by offering a matching gift program. Search here to see if your company offers a matching gift program or contact your company’s human resources department to determine if your employer matches gifts to the the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. This is an easy and effective way to double or even triple your contribution to the Humane Society.

The convenience of donating at the workplace has made payroll deduction programs a popular alternative for the contributor. HSSW participates in the Combined Federal Campaign (#8080). Check with your Human Resources office to see if the Humane SOciety for SOuthwest Washington is a designated charity in your workplace contribution campaign.

Donating a highly appreciated asset to the Humane Society may allow you to avoid a significant portion of your tax liability while still receiving a charitable contribution deduction.

For example, if you donate a long-term appreciated asset such as stock to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington you are generally entitled to an income tax deduction for the current fair market value of that asset, no matter what your original cost. Additionally, all capital gains tax that were due would be avoided. However, to take a deduction for gifts of securities at their current value, you must have owned them for one year and a day.* The asset you donate is usually removed from your taxable estate, which means an additional tax savings for your heirs.

The gift of an appreciated asset is a powerful way to support the Humane Society for Southwest Washington in its work. While this giving strategy has many obvious benefits, no doubt the most important is the satisfaction of knowing that your support helps advance the lifesaving work of the Humane Society.

A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and the Humane Society for Southwest Washington specifying that in return for a gift of cash or marketable securities, the Humane Soceity will provide the donor/ and or another beneficiary, fixed payments for life. Your payment rate will be between 5.5 percent and 11.5 percent, depending on your age when the annuity is established.

The benefits of establishing a Humane Society for Southwest Washington Charitable Gift Annuity include...

· Significant federal income tax deduction for the year the gift is funded

· Annuity income payments are exempt from federal income tax throughout the annuitant’s life expectancy

· Receive a fixed and dependable income for life

· Your establishment of an Gift Annuity may also reduce probate costs and estate taxes

Upon the death of an annuitant, or the death of the trustee, the principal underlying the annuity then becomes available to the HSSW to continue to expand its humane programs on behalf of needy animals.

As the unitrust donor, you irrevocably transfer assets, generally cash or securities, to a trustee of your choice (for example, a bank trust department or the Humane Society).

A charitable remainder unitrust is a planned gift, defined by federal tax law that can provide income to yourself or others while making a gift to the Humane Society. The income you receive can continue for the life of the beneficiaries you designate, a fixed term of no more than 20 years, or a combination of both.

During the term of the unitrust, the trustee invests the assets. Every year, the trustee distributes a fixed percentage of the current value of the unitrust, as revalued annually, to the income beneficiaries named by you. The payments must be at least 5% of the trust’s yearly value and are made out of the trust income, or principal if the income is not adequate. Payments can be made annually, semiannually, or quarterly.

When the unitrust term ends, the principal passes to the Humane Society, to be used for whatever purpose you designate.

The acceptance of restricted gifts, personal property and closely held stocks will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Please contact our Development Office at donations@southwesthumane.org or call 360.750.0847 if you would like additional information or would like to receive a Giving Opportunities brochure.