Planned Giving & Bequests

Wills and Bequests

One of the most important types of donations that the Garden receives is a bequest from an individual’s estate. These individuals leave a legacy that will help the Garden for years to come. Some leave a bequest for the Endowment Fund, Friends Fund, or some leave it for a specific use. Some leave it to honor a loved one. Whatever your reason there are a number of ways to remember the Garden in your estate.

  1. Leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of the assets in your will to Lincoln Memorial Garden.
  2. Consider various assets for your charitable gift, like, IRA’s, savings bonds, stocks, bonds, CD’s, real estate, vehicles, art and jewelry. Such gifts may even provide tax savings.
  3. Name Lincoln Memorial Garden as the beneficiary of your pension or IRA.
  4. Purchase a new life insurance policy naming Lincoln Memorial Garden as the beneficiary or name Lincoln Memorial Garden as the beneficiary of an existing life insurance or annuity contract.

Charitable Remainder Trust

With a charitable remainder trust, a gift of property or money is donated to a charity, but the donor designates a beneficiary to receive the interest or use of the property for a specific length of time. After this time period, the designated charity receives the property or principal.

This can have some definite tax advantages for the donor. In the case of appreciated stock for example, the donor would not have to pay any capital gains tax on the donated assets and would still receive a charitable deduction for the full market value of the stock. A charitable remainder trust can also save the donor substantial amounts of estate and gift taxes. Assets in the trust are not subject to estate and gift taxation.

For more information about a charitable remainder trust, contact your financial planning advisor.

Since its beginning in the 1930s, Lincoln Memorial Garden has matured as a woodland and prairie garden, an educational resource, and a living memorial to our 16th president. Its present integrity reflects the generous support and careful stewardship of six decades of Garden friends. We invite you to become a leader in ensuring its future growth and vitality