The practice of planned giving is very much in the spirit of Nebraska’s agricultural roots.
Both involve planting seeds now with the expectation of a harvest later. Perhaps that’s why planned giving has become such a key part of building endowments across the Nebraska Community Foundation network.
“Planned giving” refers to the practice of arranging a gift now that will be realized at a future date. Now that NCF has been at work for more than 25 years in Nebraska, we’re beginning to see those planned gifts come to fruition and in doing so, change the future of their places. In fact, several NCF affiliated funds received six-figure gifts last year and many of those were planned gifts.
Planned gifts can be straightforward like naming the Wayne Area Legacy Fund as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy. They can also be quite complex depending on the donor’s financial situation or what they want to support. There are a wide variety of vehicles to accomplish the gift, during the donor’s life or death, and the overall financial planning required to choose the best methods, timing, etc., means that a visit to your financial professional is in order.
“Anyone can be a philanthropist. The amount of money does not determine who is a philanthropist. A philanthropist is anybody who cares about a cause and wants to give, whether now or into the future,” said Austin Coufal.
Austin and Kelsey Coufal of the Howells community set up a bequest for their local fund while setting up their wills and trusts.
“We’re young, and we don’t have a lot of money to give,” Coufal said. “This is our way of always giving back to the community and knowing that this community is going to be taken care of in the future.”
Once an heir leaves the community they grew up in, so do the resources. Planned giving ensures that you can leave a legacy for future generations in your hometown. The Wayne Area Legacy Fund encourages community members to consider planned giving to the Wayne fund to ensure a bright future for tomorrow, today.
In the Wayne community, Bill and Julie Claybaugh recently updated their family plans to donate 5% of their estate to WALF's unrestricted endowment. "It's a great way of giving back," Julie said. "For as long as you've lived in the community, they've supported you. It's one way of ensuring that certain things continue."
Regardless of the tools you choose, a planned gift gives you the confidence of knowing your wishes will be carried out and you will be able to support the causes that are dear to you. In the big picture, these gifts mean you are leaving a legacy for generations in your hometown.
If you have additional questions about planned giving, contact the WALF at WayneAreaLegacyFund@gmail.com and/or visit our website at https://www.waynearealegacyfund.org/. If you want to make a donation to the Wayne Area Legacy Fund, you can visit Nebraska Community Foundation’s Gift Planning website – www.ncfgift.org – to download the necessary forms.
You can also find details on the benefits and process of making a planned gift, as well as other out-of-the-box giving methods beyond cash. Nebraska Community Foundation is also always available to point you in the right direction at (402) 323-7330 or info@nebcommfound.org.
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Nebraska Community Foundation unleashes abundant local assets, inspires charitable giving and connects ambitious people to build stronger communities and a Greater Nebraska.
Headquartered in Lincoln, the Foundation serves communities, donors and organizations by providing financial management, strategic development, education and training to a statewide network of 1,500 volunteers serving over 270 communities.
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Wayne Area Legacy Foundation harnesses the power of giving to make the Wayne area a great place for all ages to live, work and play for generations to come.
We invite you to be a part of the legacy of promoting progress in our area by giving to the unrestricted endowment. Similar to a community savings account, unrestricted endowments are an important tool to keep hometowns across Nebraska growing, thriving and improving future generations. A portion of the income earned by the endowment is granted annually to fund projects and programs to benefit the community, the principal remains intact and grows every year.
The Wayne Area Legacy Fund (WALF) has invested over $70,000 back into the Wayne Area community since the inception of the fund. The WALF is an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All contributions to WALF are tax-deductible. Visit WayneAreaLegacyFund.org for additional information.
