Legacy Gifts

Fund the Future of San Antonio Humane Society Through Planned Gifts
Planned giving makes your every dollar go farther! To maximize your charitable giving, as well as fulfill your own financial needs, you can fund the future of the San Antonio Humane Society through your estate planning. Making a gift through your estate is one of the most effective ways to ensure that we can carry on our mission to save animals’ lives far into the future.

Gifts Through Your Will or Living Trust
A gift to the San Antonio Humane Society through your will or living trust is a powerful statement of your support our mission: to be the community’s primary resource for promoting the humane treatment of companion animals by providing education and adoption services. It may also provide a reduction in your taxable estate. The most common planned gift is a bequest through your will or living trust. You can arrange a gift of a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or even all or part of the residuary of your estate. If you would like to make such a gift to the San Antonio Humane Society, your attorney may wish to include language similar to the following:”I give, devise, and bequeath to the San Antonio Humane Society, now or formerly in the City of San Antonio, 4804 Fredericksburg Road, in the State of Texas, (dollar amount or __ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate), to be used for its general purposes.”

Gifts Through Life Insurance or Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designations
Naming the San Antonio Humane Society as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy or retirement plan is a simple and smart way to provide for our organization. It may also benefit your heirs through avoidance of substantial income and estate taxes. To create a legacy for the Humane Society through a beneficiary designation, you may:
Name San Antonio Humane Society as beneficiary of a retirement fund
Name San Antonio Humane Society as beneficiary of an insurance policy

Retirement Plans
Retirement plan assets are among the best assets to use for charitable gifts. You can create a legacy by naming San Antonio Humane Society as beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of an IRA, 401 (k), 403 (b), Keogh account, or other qualified retirement plan. Upon your death, all or a portion of the unused balance in your account is transferred to the San Antonio Humane Society as a charitable gift. When a retirement account is left to a charity, the organization does not pay the income tax otherwise due if left to a friend or non-spouse family member. To make such a gift requires merely completing a change of beneficiary form, which may be obtained from the plan administrator.

Insurance Policies
If you no longer need their life insurance that was purchased years ago to provide for children or other family members, please consider donating the policy to the San Antonio Humane Society. You may claim a charitable deduction for approximately the policy’s cash surrender value, and the proceeds are completely removed from your estate. Life insurance may also be used to create a legacy by naming San Antonio Humane Society as beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of the policy. This requires that you complete a change of beneficiary form with the insurance company. If you name the Humane Society as beneficiary, you can change your mind at any time by updating the change of beneficiary form.

Charitable Gift Annuities
A charitable gift annuity is a special giving arrangement in which, in return for a gift of at least $5,000 (or $10,000 for two annuitants), the San Antonio Humane Society provides guaranteed, fixed payments to you and/or another person for the rest of your lives. The rate of your payments is based on your age when the gift is made and will not change. A portion of your annuity payments may be tax-free, depending on the specifics of the gift. A charitable gift annuity also entitles you to partial income tax charitable deduction and may provide capital gains and estate tax benefits. After your lifetime, the remainder of your gift will support the work of San Antonio Humane Society.

Charitable Remainder Trusts
To set up a trust that will ultimately benefit San Antonio Humane Society, while providing you with continuing income, you would make an irrevocable gift of $100,000 or more to establish a distinct trust fund in your name. All donors qualify for an income tax charitable deduction. If you make your gift with appreciated securities, you avoid the capital gains tax on long-term appreciation. With a charitable remainder unitrust, your payment rate is fixed, but the amount fluctuates based on the value of the trust each year. With a charitable remainder annuity trust, your payment amount is fixed and does not fluctuate through time. In both trusts, the income is taxed as ordinary income to you. But most importantly, you have established a legacy for San Antonio Humane Society.

Prepare & Protect Your Pet’s Future
Loss of Life Advocates (LOLA) was created to serve as a type of concierge service for those preparing for or dealing with death by providing a wide variety of guidance options, services, and referrals for both corporations and individuals, all under one roof. In fact, making provisions for your pet in your will is a great place to start, but it doesn’t cover what will happen if you are incapacitated, hospitalized for an extended period, or moved to an assisted living or rehabilitation facility. This is where LOLA can help.

“Planning for your pet can give you peace of mind that your companion animal is being properly cared for in your absence.” –Esther Cardenas, Founder LOLA