Create a Legacy
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The Bridge Builder

An old man, going a lone highway Came at evening, cold and gray, to a chasm, vast and deep and wide Through which was flowing a sullen tide

The old man crossed in the twilight dim The sullen stream held no fears for him But he turned when he reached the other side, And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old Man," said a fellow pilgrim near, "You are wasting you strength in building here. Your journey will end with the ending day; You never again must pass this way. You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide. Why build your bridge at eventide?"

The builder tilted his old gray head. "Good Friend, in the path I have come," he said "There followeth after me today A youth whose feet must pass this way. This chasm that has been naught to me To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be. He, too, must cross in the twilight dim; Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

The finest gift we can leave is the preservation of our highest ideals and values. One of the safest and most secure instruments available to creating such a legacy is through planned giving with the Fresno Regional Foundation.

Plan Your Legacy

Planned giving is the integration of sound personal, financial and estate planning concepts with the donor’s preference for lifetime or testamentary giving. Planned giving ensures that the legacy of supporting your most treasured values and good works will continue in perpetuity.

Some Options

Bequests - Provisions made in a donor’s will

Charitable Remainder Trust - A charitable reminder trust provides both lifetime income and a current charitable income tax deduction. This gives the donor, and perhaps the donor’s spouse, an income for life. There are two types of charitable remainder trusts:

Charitable Lead Trust - This is established by a donor transferring assets to a trust that provides income to a non-profit organization for a period of years. At the end of that period the trust assets revert either to the donor or to someone else the donor designates.

Gifts of Real Estate or Appreciated Assets - Donors can make a gift of commercial or residential real estate, stocks, bonds and other securities to the Fresno Regional Foundation and receive substantial financial benefits. If a donor wishes to give the property outright, he/she qualifies for a charitable income tax deduction based on the appraised value of the property. If a donor is contemplating leaving a house through a will or living trust, he/she may want to consider giving it now but retaining the right to live in it for their lifetime. This gift plan is known as a "Retained Life Estate." The donor will continue to pay taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. However, by giving now a donor will receive a substantial charitable income tax deduction in the year that the gift is made.

Estate Planning – Beyond Philanthropy

Additional benefits to the donor