Planned Giving

An excellent way for you to support Tri-County United Way's mission is to leave us 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 you will leave to charity during your life. Another benefit is that you are able to leave a lasting legacy.

Types of Bequests

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 $50,000 to Tri-County United Way.

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 25% of your estate to Tri-County United Way.

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 Tri-County United Way.

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 Tri-County United Way.

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.

Interested in creating your will for free? We've teamed up with FreeWill to help you create your will for free. Whether or not you decide to include a gift to United Way, the tool is yours to use, free of charge.

Bequest Language

In order to make a bequest, you should speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to Tri-County United Way 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 Tri-County United Way, we recommend the following language:

Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount
I hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, for Tri-County United Way's general use and purpose.

Bequest of Specific Personal Property
I hereby give, devise and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, for Tri-County United Way'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 Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, for Tri-County United Way's general use and purpose.

2. Percentage Bequest
If you are considering making a bequest of a percentage of your estate to Tri-County United Way, 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 Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, for Tri-County United Way's general use and purpose.

3. Residual Bequest
I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for Tri-County United Way's general use and purpose.

4. Contingent Bequest
If (primary beneficiary) does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to be used for Tri-County United Way'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 Tri-County United Way flexibility should it no longer be possible for Tri-County United Way to use your gift as you originally intended:

If, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of Tri-County United Way, it shall become impossible for Tri-County United Way to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, Tri-County United Way 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.

Please contact us if you have any questions about how to make a bequest to Tri-County United Way or to request any additional information that might be helpful to you and your attorney as you consider making a bequest to us.

You may be looking for a way to make a big difference to help further our mission. If you are 70½ or older you may also be interested in a way to lower the income and taxes from your IRA withdrawals. An IRA charitable rollover is a way you can help continue our work and benefit this year.

Contact your IRA administrator or financial advisor and request a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA. The funds must be transferred directly from your IRA to Tri-County United Way, a nonprofit organization located at 880 Frontage Rd, Suite F, Peshtigo, WI  54157, Federal Tax ID #38-6034023, to qualify. Be sure to consult your financial or tax advisor regarding your specific situation.

Donating part or all of your unused retirement assets, such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, is an excellent way to make a gift to Tri-County United Way. If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. You can make a gift of your unused retirement assets to help further our mission.

To leave your retirement assets to Tri-County United Way, you will need to contact your retirement plan custodian and complete a beneficiary designation form. If you designate Tri-County United Way as beneficiary, we will benefit from the full value of your gift because your retirement assets will not be taxed at your death. Your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

A gift of your life insurance policy is an excellent way to make a gift to Tri-County United Way. If you have a life insurance policy that has outlasted its original purpose, consider making a gift of your insurance policy to Tri-County United Way. For example, you may have purchased a policy to provide for minor children, and they are now financially independent adults.

To make a gift of life insurance, please contact your life insurance provider, request a beneficiary designation form from the insurer and include Tri-County United Way as the beneficiary of your policy.

Please let us know if you have already named us as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.