Legacy Giving: Wills, Trusts, and Estates

A simple way to arrange for a future gift to March of Dimes is through a bequest. This can be accomplished by simply naming March of Dimes as a beneficiary in your will or trust. You can specify which assets we’ll receive such as cash, securities, real estate or other non-cash assets, or designate that we receive a percentage of your overall estate or of the residual of your estate.

Though it may seem hard to believe, more than 50 percent of Americans over 60 years of age do not have a will. They either haven’t thought about it, haven’t gotten around to it, or have put it off because they don’t want to think about dying. Ensuring that your money and property are distributed to the people and charities you want is very important. 

With a charitable remainder trust, you can make a gift to March of Dimes and receive income at the same time. A charitable remainder trust is established by making an irrevocable transfer of cash, securities, real estate or other non-cash assets to a trust in exchange for an annual income for life or a term of years.

If you’re considering supporting both loved ones and March of Dimes at your death, your estate may reap substantial tax savings by thoughtfully planning which assets will be distributed to heirs and which will be distributed to charity. Using retirement plan/IRA assets is an excellent way to satisfy your charitable intentions because those same assets left to heirs may be significantly eroded by income and estate tax, leaving them with much less than what you intended.