With a little planning, your gift to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey (“MAWFNJ”) can help achieve your financial, philanthropic, and estate-planning goals.

Planned gifts give back, allowing you to take sizeable income, capital gains, and estate deductions on your taxes. They can provide income for you and your family for life. And planned gifts can be much larger than other gifts, so you can leave a legacy that fits your philanthropic goals.

A Bequest
One of the constants in MAWFNJ’s success story is that those who believe in the mission of the Foundation, support it financially, and make it part of their legacy. From our inception 25 years ago, MAWFNJ has needed private support for our special mission. In fact, one of the most important sources of our funding is bequests from friends like you.

Bequests of all sizes from MAWFNJ’s benefactors have helped to expand the Foundation over this past quarter-century. A bequest allows you to memorialize a loved one, provide financial support, endow wishes, and at the same time be associated with one of the great American charities forever.

Which Bequest Is Best For You? There are many ways to leave a legacy to MAWFNJ. Our Gift Planning office would be happy to discuss with you which method of support best meets your financial and philanthropic needs.

While you support MAWFNJ’s mission, you can also receive important tax benefits, because all bequests to MAWFNJ are entirely free from federal estate taxes. Certain bequests, such as retirement plan assets, allow you to give more to MAWFNJ at significantly less after-tax cost to your other beneficiaries.

Your bequest options include:

Cash Bequest
You can simply leave a specific amount to MAWFNJ,.
Bequest of Assets
You can leave specific assets such as securities, your home, or other property to MAWFNJ.
Residual Bequest
You can designate that MAWFNJ will receive all or a percentage of the remainder of your estate, after your other beneficiaries are provided for. MAWFNJ shares in increases or decreases in the value of your estate – which eliminates the concern that a specific bequest will reduce inheritance for family and friends.
Designation of Retirement Fund Assets
By designating retirement fund assets to MAWFNJ, you can eliminate both the income tax and estate tax (up to 70 percent) that would have to be paid if you left this to individuals.

How Your Bequest Benefits MAWFNJ.
When planning a bequest to MAWFNJ, you should think about how you want your gift to be used. The following are some of the ways you can designate your bequest:

Unrestricted Gifts
These are especially valuable to MAWFNJ because they allow the Foundation to fulfill its highest priorities when your bequest arrives.
Restricted Purpose
Restricted gifts can support MAWFNJ initiatives such as wishes for a certain area of the Garden State, or to provide endowment for The Samuel & Josephine Plumari Wishing Place.
Current Use or Endowment
Establishing a current use fund allows MAWFNJ the flexibility of using the full amount of your gift. Establishing an endowed fund creates a permanent endowment, providing income every year in perpetuity to carry out its purposes. Please consult us when considering this option, because the minimum amounts for creating endowed funds vary over time.
Perpetuating an Annual Gift
If you typically make a gift to MAWFNJ each year, you can perpetuate that gift with a bequest equal to 20 times its size. For example, a bequest of $100,000 can create an endowed fund that will distribute approximately $5,000 each year, adjusted for inflation, to MAWFNJ forever.

Tax Benefits
A bequest is deductible for federal estate-tax purposes, and there is no limit on the amount of the estate tax charitable deduction your estate can take. In addition, bequests generally are not subject to state inheritance or estate taxes. In a large estate, the savings can be more than half the value of the bequest.

Samples of Bequest Language
The following examples can be tailored to your interests. Be sure to consult your attorney for assistance in making a bequest.

Unrestricted
I give _____________ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey for its general purposes.

Restricted Bequest
I give ______________ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey ...to be used for “ . . . .”

Endowed Fund
I give ______________ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey to create a separate endowment fund to be known as The _____________ Fund. MAWFNJ shall make distributions from the fund each year, pursuant to MAWFNJ’s then current endowment spending policy, to support _______________ .

To create an Endowed Fund in your will, please contact the Office of Gift Planning to discuss wording. This will ensure that MAWFNJ will be able to use the gift as intended.

Making Your Bequest
Once you complete your estate plan, please let us know. We would like to thank you for your generosity by inviting you to join The Granting Future Wishes Society, our honorary society for friends of MAWFNJ who have made future plans for the Foundation. Your membership involves no dues, obligations or solicitations, but it does allow us to thank you and recognize you for the plans you have made, and it may inspire generosity in others.

N.B.: Consult legal and tax advisors before making any decisions based on this information.