Planned Giving And Endowment Fund
Complimentary Wills & Trusts Seminar
When someone dies without a will or trust, the courts decide how the estate is divided. Wouldn’t you rather make those decisions?
Check back for our next Wills & Trusts Seminar date.
“Be Prepared” is the motto of the Boy Scouts of America. In an effort to help Scouting families and supporters prepare for the future, the planned giving committee of the Greater St. Louis Area Council is offering a free Wills and Trusts Seminar. Learn about the benefits of having a will or trust and how having one could support your loved ones or organizations close to your heart.
This educational seminar is provided as a service to our Scouting community. We do not solicit any gifts during or after this seminar. Everyone is welcome to attend and invite their friends.
Key points to be discussed are:
- What happens if I have not done any estate planning?
- Why does one need a will or a trust, and what does a will or a trust do?
- What is the difference between a will and a trust?
- What should I consider including in my estate planning documents to protect my family?
- What taxes may be assessed at death?
- What should I do to protect my finances if I become disabled?
- How should I select someone to make medical decisions for me if I am unable to do so?
- How do I get started with estate planning?
LEAVE A LEGACY TO THE LOCAL SCOUTING PROGRAM
“Be Prepared” is the motto of the Boy Scouts of America. Encouraging gifts to the Greater St. Louis Area Council endowment is one of our highest priorities. A gift to endowment ensures that the council can continue to offer the outstanding programs we now have and also grow to meet the needs of our youth and community for the next 100 years. Your support will help us meet the current and future goals of the Greater St. Louis Area Council.
As a planned giving donor to the Greater St. Louis Area Council, you can use your giving to achieve personal goals, enhance your financial security, and to help shape the future of Scouting. Planned giving includes a number of ways for you to include charitable giving in your total financial plan. There are advantageous tax treatments of gifts under both state and federal law. Planned giving can help you maximize these tax benefits. Here is a brochure with an overview of a few planned giving options.
Tax advantages can often make it possible for you to provide a greater gift than you thought possible, while also benefiting your family and heirs. Many donors and supporters of Scouting have chosen planned giving as a way to show their interest in supporting Scouting beyond their lifetime, while realizing some tax benefits today. The type of asset and the way it is given to Scouting determines the actual tax and financial benefits that can result from a gift. Certain planned gift arrangements provide you with an opportunity to diversify your holdings, turn highly appreciated assets into a gift that provides you income, and allow you to enjoy significant tax savings. With careful planning today, you may reduce or eliminate estate, inheritance, or gift taxes, allowing your family and the charities you support to receive the full benefits of your life’s work. Certain gift plans actually result in a greater amount of wealth passed on to your family.
As with all financial decisions, a planned gift should be designed with care. A planned giving professional should work closely and confidentially with you to ensure that your gift achieves your individual goals, and expresses your personal vision. Here are just a few options for planned giving:
- Wills and Bequests
- Living Trusts
- Gift Annuities
- Charitable Remainder and Charitable Lead Trusts
- Life Insurance
- Retirement Plan Beneficiaries
Share your intent of leaving Scouting in your will or trust and become part of the Greater St. Louis Scouting Heritage Society by completing and returning this gift letter of intent.
Recognition of Your Endowment Gift
For the donor, a gift to endowment says, “Scouting is important to me and my family.” It says that Scouting truly is a movement with a mission for me. It is more than an organization; it is a way of life. It is what we say and do in the spirit of the Scout Oath and Law. The Greater St. Louis Area Council appreciates your investment in the future of our local Scouting program and offers the following recognition levels.
Greater St. Louis Area Scouting Heritage Society
The “Scouting Heritage Society” has been established by the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America to recognize those who believe in preserving the tradition and values of Scouting, as well as perpetuating its future for generations to come. The Heritage Society is a program to recognize those who make an outright gift of at least $1,000 (James E. West Society Fellowship Award) or a deferred gift of at least $5,000 to the endowment of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. Heritage Society members will be invited to the annual Heritage Society dinner in March, summer camp tours, and other special events.
James E. West Fellowship Award
The James E West Fellowship Award nationally recognizes individuals who contribute $1,000 or more in cash or securities to the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s permanent endowment fund. Individuals may contribute monies toward a fellowship in honor of someone else (youth or adult):
- Honor your Eagle Scout
- Honor your Parents
- Honor your Unit Leader
- Honor your Graduate
- Honor your Hero
- Honor a Soldier or Veteran
- Honor a Wood Badger
- Honor a Commissioner
- Honor your District Leadership
- Honor a Silver Beaver award recipient
- Memorialize that Special Person
- Honor an Arrowman
- Honor a Retiree
- Honor a Loved One including non-Scouters
- Honor a Veteran Scouter
- Honor your Chartered Organization
James E. West Fellowship Award recipients will be honored with a special square knot, pin and framed certificate and recognized at the annual Heritage Society Dinner held in March. Make a James E. West Fellowship gift today by filling out and returning this GSLAC James E West Application or click here to DONATE NOW.
Second Century Society
Membership begins with an outright gift of $25,000 or more payable over five years, or a deferred gift of $100,000 or more, to the Greater St. Louis Area Council for operating, capital, or endowment.
- $25,000+ Member Level: Certificate and Pin
- $100,000+ Member Level: Special Lapel Pin, Framed Norman Rockwell Print, Certificate and Custom Second Century Society Insignia
- $500,000+ Member Level: All of the Above; Normal Rockwell Print is a Custom Limited Edition
- $1,000,000+ Member Level: All of the Above; Donors at this level will receive a Premium-Quality, Framed Rockwell Giclee.
Donors making outright gifts of $100,000 or more are designated as “Members with Distinction.” Donors making deferred gifts of $500,000 or more are designated as a “Legacy Member.” Members in these categories receive special recognition and opportunities provided by the Greater St. Louis Area Council and the Boy Scouts of America. Second Century Society recipients will be honored at the Heritage Society Dinner held in March.
Example Bequest Language
Please feel free to change the numbers or percentages as you desire.
1. Bequest of cash: “I bequeath the sum of $10,000 to The Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, EIN: 43-0652676 of Saint Louis, Missouri for its exempt purposes, without restriction.”
2. Bequest of a percent of the estate: “I devise and bequeath 20% of the remainder and residue of property owned at my death, whether real or personal, and wherever located to The Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, EIN: 43-0652676 of Saint Louis, Missouri for its exempt purposes, without restriction.”
3. Contingent Bequest: “If my brother John Doe survives me, I devise and bequeath 20% of the remainder and residue of property owned at my death, whether real or personal, and wherever located to John Doe. If John Doe does not survive me, then I devise and bequeath 20% of my residuary estate, whether real or personal property and wherever located to The Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, EIN: 43-0652676 of Saint Louis, Missouri for its exempt purposes, without restriction.”
More Information
For more information about the planned giving programs of the Greater St. Louis Area Council, please contact:
Megan Selck
Director of Development
Phone: (618) 304-7414
megan.selck@scouting.org
We advise you to consult your estate planner for assistance in selecting the most favorable program to maximize your bequest while minimizing your tax bill.