August is Make a Will Month (part 1)

Did you know that approximately 6 out of 10 Americans die without a will? Even more interesting: only 45% of people over the age of 55 have a will. What’s also true is that Americans are considered among the most charitable people in the world: 63% of us make charitable donations, 46% volunteer their time for causes they care about, and 73% report helping strangers. 

Planned giving is a way of making a significant gift during your life or at your death, and is a powerful way to leave a legacy of enduring impact on a cause that you, the donor, care deeply about. There are many ways to support your favorite organizations without giving large outright gifts of cash or compromising yours—or your descendants’—financial security. Planned giving is a way to leave a permanent statement about your values. And, planned gifts can offer substantial financial and tax benefits.

As you know, the Foundation is engaged in a $2.5m campaign—its largest ever—to raise funds for the LINAC for the new radiation oncology program at Jefferson Healthcare.
The radiation oncology program envisioned by Jefferson Healthcare leadership means that the hospital will be the first critical access (rural) hospital in Washington to be able to offer radiation oncology within its facility.
What you may not know is that this campaign was launched with planned giving: a generous bequest from a donor who cared deeply that cancer care should be accessible to everyone. 

Leave 10 is a movement to encourage us all to leave 10% of whatever we have at the end of our lives to causes that are important to us.
If more Washington residents include charitable gifts in their wills, the landscape of social causes in our region will be positively transformed forever.
For more information about why you might need an estate plan, this resource from Leave 10 may be helpful. You may also be interested in a variety of perspectives on leaving a legacy—and may see yourself in some of these.

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