Planned Giving: Leaving a Legacy

There are two considerations for leaving a legacy to the animals at Pets Alive:

• Include Pets Alive in your estate planning
• Include the future of your pet(s) in your estate planning.

How to include Pets Alive in your estate planning

Creating your legacy of generosity improves the lives of companion animals of Pets Alive.  Following are a few common examples of legacy giving options you might consider: 

Named Beneficiary – a simple and powerful way to ensure a legacy of care for companion animals is by naming Pets Alive as a beneficiary on a:

• Retirement account:
  • You can leave a legacy by naming Pets Alive as a Transfer on Death or Payable on death beneficiary on a specified percentage of their IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or another retirement plan.
• Life insurance policy:
  • You can name Pets Alive as a primary life insurance beneficiary or as a contingent beneficiary should your other beneficiaries not survive you.
  • Another option is to donate outright a life insurance policy that is no longer needed. Pets Alive would have the option of either holding or surrendering the policy to receive the current cash value. You may donate a policy that is paid up or one with ongoing premium payments.
• Bank or investment account:
  • Consider making Pets Alive a beneficiary on a bank account, stock, or another type of investment account.

Beneficiary designation gifts typically pass directly to Pets Alive and go right to work to help us in our mission to build a humane community supporting the human-animal bond. Charities that inherit these assets are not required to pay income tax, so these assets are often considered among the best assets to leave to charity.

Leaving a Gift in Your Will – Gifts by will are an important source of support and unrestricted gifts provide Pets Alive the greatest flexibility to use funds where they are most needed in our mission to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere. You may leave Pets Alive:

• a stated dollar amount
• a percentage of your residual estate (what remains after gifts to loved ones and expenses have been paid)
• a specific asset, such as stock, a car, real estate, or other marketable property

Example statements of language that may be useful for leaving a gift in your will:

• Jeanne states in her will “I give and bequeath to Pets Alive, Inc., 363 Derby Rd, Middletown, NY 10940, tax-exempt number (EIN) 11-2975276, the sum of twenty-thousand dollars ($20,000.00) to be used for its general charitable purposes.”
• Byron states in his will “I give and bequeath to Pets Alive, Inc., 363 Derby Rd, Middletown, NY 10940, tax-exempt number (EIN) 11-2975276, five percent (5%) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for its general charitable purposes.“

We thank you for considering the creation of your legacy as a committed advocate for the companion animals of Pets Alive.  To name Pets Alive as a beneficiary or to leave a gift to Pets Alive in your will, here is some helpful information:

• Consult with your financial, legal, and/or estate planning advisors as required to incorporate any of the above ideas or others not listed into your estate planning
• Pets Alive contact and address details
• Pets Alive financial information

We hope you’ll let us know when you have named Pets Alive as a beneficiary or in your will so that we can thank you. Reach us at contactus@petsalive.org.