LEGACY FUND

SCVAS created its Legacy Fund to receive bequests and donations reserved for special conservation and education initiatives.

Bequests to the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Legacy Fund memorialize your commitment to environmental education and conservation in the Bay Area now and well into the future, and are an important investment in the vitality of our organization.

The SCVAS Board views gifts to the Legacy Fund as investments in the long-term sustainability of our Audubon chapter and its mission. Income from the Fund has been used to expand SCVAS’s summer nature camp program for children with the goal of educating a new generation of enthusiastic environmentalists. It has also been used to jumpstart new programs such as our RAILS Youth Environmental Leadership Training. The Fund also supported the hiring of an Environment Advocate to fulfill a fundamental part of our mission.

Please call our Executive Director, Matthew Dodder, at 408-252-3748, or email him at: director@scvas.org to confidentially discuss your plans. And let us know you have included SCVAS in your estate plan so that we can recognize you as a member of our Legacy Society if you wish.

W H AT  I S  A  B E Q U E ST ?

A bequest is a provision in your will or living trust that directs a portion of your estate to a named beneficiary (such as SCVAS). Giving by charitable bequest costs you nothing now and can also qualify your estate for a charitable deduction to reduce estate tax liability.

There are three ways to make a bequest:

Specific Bequest - Designate a specific dollar amount, percentage, or property to SCVAS.

Residual Bequest - Your estate will pay all debts, taxes, expenses and specific bequests. The remaining amount - the residual - will be transferred to SCVAS and others, if you so indicate.

Contingent Bequest - Your estate can ask that SCVAS receive all or a portion of your estate only under certain circumstances. For example, you can name SCVAS as a beneficiary of your estate only if there are no surviving close family members.

S P E C I F I C  B E Q U E ST  S A M P L E  L A N G U A G E

Specific dollar amount -- I give  the sum of ___ dollars to...

Property-- I give the following described property to... [insert description of property].

Percentage -- I give an amount equal to ___ percent of the net value of my estate as finally determined for federal tax purposes to...

... to Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, by whatever name it is then called, 22221 McClellan Road, Cupertino, CA 95014, (408)252-3747, a charitable organization located in Santa Clara County, California. Tax ID 94-6081-420.

Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor to add a bequest to your will or living trust.

IRA AND INVESTMENT ACCOUNT BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION

Traditional IRA and employer retirement plans generally require naming of a beneficiary. You can name SCVAS as the sole or co-beneficiary as part of your estate plan. Simply state on the account manager’s form what percentage goes to which beneficiary. These accounts pass to the beneficiaries outside of your trust or will. 

Many investment account managers, such as mutual fund companies, also allow you to designate primary and secondary beneficiaries. For example, you can designate SCVAS as primary beneficiary, or you can designate your spouse as primary beneficiary and SCVAS as secondary beneficiary. You also have the flexibility of designating SCVAS as a beneficiary of a specific and separate account, controlling the amount of money you give. Specific beneficiaries designated on investment accounts usually override wills or trusts. Please consult with your investment account manager or financial planner about the details of designating SCVAS as a beneficiary.

Memorial Fund

Donations to honor the important people in your life can be made to this special fund to memorialize efforts they made during their lives. Monies in this fund will be spent on special education or conservation programs in our community. Please let us know about your special contribution so we can send an acknowledgement of your gift to the family of the person honored. If the person was a SCVAS volunteer or member, send us a tribute so we can honor them in our Volunteer Memorial.

BENEFICIARIES OF THE VOLUNTEER MEMORIAL FUND

The Education Committee and Board were delighted to fund scholarships for two South Valley Middle School students to attend a Yosemite Institute program in 2011. As part of their scholarship application, Kevin and Jamie both expressed their reasons for wanting to attend this program. The common factor was a desire to experience nature in a new way and to learn more about the Sierras.

Jamie commented, "The coolest part of the trip was when we saw a coyote hunting in the meadow. It was an amazing feeling because people were close to it taking pictures and it didn't run away. It was as though it was posing."

Kevin described his experience, "The second day we got to play in the snow. It was so fun! Our leader showed me how to work in a group - that was special to me. But, the most exciting moment was when we were all in 'spider cave' and everything was dark. That showed me the importance of working together with everybody."

To the supporters of the Volunteer Memorial Fund, and on behalf of these students - and many others like them - thank you!