leave a legacy of love

There are many ways you may structure your gift to Roswell Humane Society:

• A stated dollar amount or percentage of your estate
• A gift of securities (stocks, bonds, or mutual funds)
• A gift of property, such as real estate, collections, art, jewelry, or car
• A share of your residual estate after providing for your heirs and paying debts
• The remainder or a share of a living trust or charitable remainder trust
• List Roswell Humane Society as the beneficiary of your savings or investment accounts, such as IRAs and Donor-Advised Funds

You may also make gifts outside your will, please see the options below.

You can use FreeWill to make a gift from your estate to Roswell Humane Society to improve the lives of our community's cats and dogs for decades to come. The service is free whether or not you choose to leave a gift.

If you are working with an attorney on your estate plans, you can also use FreeWill to document and organize your wishes, saving you time and money.

Go to FreeWill.com to begin your will. It takes on average 20 minutes and you can save your work for future updates. 

A little planning can give you big peace of mind. By deciding now who can take care of your pets if they outlive you, you make a difficult transition much easier for your beloved companion. 

The term “planned giving” refers to a charitable gift that requires some pre-planning. When a donor leaves assets to Roswell Humane Society in his or her Will, the estate receives a charitable tax deduction.

Revocable Living Trust: These trusts are created during the donor’s lifetime and may be changed or revoked at any time. Upon death, ownership of assets is determined immediately as set forth in the trust document. Trust property may forego the probate process—compared to property distributed through a will, which requires probate—ensuring that your charitable wishes are carried out in a timely and cost-effective manner. A gift of this nature may also lower estate taxes.

Charitable Remainder Trust: This trust makes payments, either a fixed amount (annuity trust) or a percentage of trust principal (unitrust), to Roswell Humane Society. Provisions may be included that allow income to be redirected back to you, and you may claim a tax deduction as well as not pay capital gains tax if the gift is of appreciated property. At the end of the trust term, Roswell Humane Society receives the remaining funds in the trust. Charitable remainder unitrusts provide flexibility in income distribution and thus can be helpful with retirement planning.

Charitable Lead Trust: This trust makes payments, either a fixed amount (annuity trust) or a percentage of trust principal (unitrust), to Roswell Humane Society during its term. At the end of the term, the remaining assets can revert back to the donor (a grantor lead trust) or to heirs named by the donor (a non-grantor lead trust.) The donor may claim a charitable tax deduction for funding a grantor or non-grantor lead trust. Since lead trusts are typically used to pass assets to heirs, non-grantor lead trusts are far more common. In this case, assets forego estate taxes at your passing, given that they have been removed from your taxable and probate estate.

Retained Life Estate:  A donor may make a gift of his or her personal residence, farm or vacation property to Roswell Humane Society and retain the right to live there for the remainder of his or her life. The donor receives an immediate income tax deduction for the gift. At the donor’s death, Roswell Humane Society may use or sell the property.

Real Estate: Appreciated real estate may allow a donor to avoid sizeable capital gains taxes. Depending on the appreciation, the tax savings may exceed the original cost of the property. Conversely, if real estate values have decreased over time, donors will benefit more by: 1. selling their depreciated property; 2. taking a capital loss; and, 3. receiving a charitable deduction for their cash gift.

You do not have to make or change a Will to benefit Roswell Humane Society at the time of your death. Virtually any account that allows you to designate a death beneficiary may be gifted to Roswell Humane Society.

Life Insurance: You may name Roswell Humane Society  as your beneficiary, co-beneficiary, or contingent beneficiary, of your insurance policies.

Financial Accounts: Most financial accounts may be made Payable on Death (POD) to a named beneficiary, including a nonprofit organization.

Retirement Savings: IRAs, pensions, 401K plans, and other retirement savings arrangements provide for death beneficiaries, including a nonprofit organization.

Revocable Living Trusts: Property placed in such a trust may be transferred to Roswell Humane Society quickly given that these processions are not subject to the probate process.

Property Deeds: Consider naming Roswell Humane Society as the Transfer on Death (TOD) beneficiary of your property, such as a house or undeveloped land.  A TOD deed bypasses probate and allows a gift of property to transfer directly to Roswell Humane Society's ownership.

Vehicles: Gifts of automobiles and other kinds of titled vehicles must be included in your will.

Your financial situation is unique. We strongly recommend that you consult your tax attorney, accountant, or financial advisor to help you include Roswell Humane Society in your estate or trust planning. If you or your advisor have any questions, please contact Abby Hess at  575-622-8950