Legacy Giving
Today’s fast-paced world presents a whirlwind of activity in our daily lives, yet summers in New Hampshire often slow us down, offering bits of time to ponder, and perhaps have longer meaningful, honest family conversations. At least one would hope this is the case.
Folks who support the Foundation by adding us in their wills often share with us that one such topic of summer conversation revolves around charitable planning, and how it fits into one’s larger estate plans.
We realize that it’s not always an easy topic to bring up, but it’s important.
We can help. We’ve got access to information that can make it easier to thoughtfully weave charitable gift planning into your overall estate plans. Just drop us an email.
The Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire is a great choice for such a legacy gift. It’s easy to name us in your will or other estate planning vehicle, and it doesn’t take very much money to make a huge difference in protecting the watershed—leaving plenty of assets for other people and important causes.
We are respectful of your wishes and realize the sensitivity around the topic of estate and gift planning, so please don’t hesitate to confidentially contact us if you would like to further explore the topic. Many Granite Staters who cherish the wonderful outdoor traditions of New Hampshire have made provisions for the Foundation in their wills, with the hope that their future contributions will have significant impact on supporting our wild places and wild things for generations to come.
For many people, a retirement account like an IRA or 401(k) may be the most significant source of assets accumulated in their lifetime.
Others may find that, due to their other resources and investments, they are not in need of all the funds accumulated in their retirement accounts. For those who wish to give to charity, a natural question is whether they can donate retirement assets—and if there are any tax advantages for doing so.
The Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH has offers two ways to donate this type of asset:
Donating during your lifetime: In order to donate retirement plan assets during your lifetime you would need to take a distribution from the retirement account, include the distribution in your income for that year, account for any taxes associated with the distribution, and then contribute cash to the charity—with one exception. People who are age 70 ½ or older can contribute up to $100,000 from their IRA directly to a charity and avoid paying income taxes on the distribution. This is known as a qualified charitable distribution. It is limited to IRAs, and there are other exclusions and considerations as well.
As part of an estate plan: By contrast, there can be significant tax advantages to donating retirement assets to charity as part of an estate plan. When done properly, charitable donations of retirement assets can minimize the amount of income taxes imposed on both your individual heirs and your estate.
Please contact us if you have any questions or wish to know more about supporting our work to protect New Hampshire’s great wildlife and outdoor traditions.
If you wish to name the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire in your will or other estate plan, such as your insurance policy, charitable trust, or annuity plan, please contact us for language. Email: admin@nhwildlifeheritage.org