Sample Language for Bequests

Your clients can continue their charitable legacies for years to come by including a gift in their wills to support a cause or organization that is important to them. Donors can continue their charitable legacies for years to come by including gifts in their wills to support a cause or organization that is important to them.

By including a charitable contribution in a will, a donor may make a gift that is simple, yet potentially much larger than he or she considered while alive.

A donor may donate a specific amount of money for a charitable purpose. This is known as a “specific bequest.” A “residual bequest” refers to a gift that consists of the remainder of a donor’s assets after all expenses and other specific bequests have been paid out.

Leaving a Gift to an Existing Fund

Use the following language in a will to contribute to an established fund at Schuylkill Area Community Foundation:
“I give _________________________ (description of gift) to Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, its successors or assigns, to the _________________________ (name of fund) consistent with the Fund Agreement previously established at the Community Foundation.”

Creating a New Fund

To establish a testamentary fund at the Community Foundation, your client may pre-sign a fund agreement expressing his or her desire for the use of the gift. Two signed agreements should be forwarded to the Community Foundation. One fully executed copy will be returned to the donor and the other kept in our file and activated when funds are received.

Using this approach, the suggested language to be used in a will is:
“I give _________________________ description of gift) to Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, its successors or assigns, to create the _________________________ (name of Fund) consistent with the Fund Agreement previously executed between myself and the Community Foundation.”

Leaving a Gift to the Community

Some donors prefer to have the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors determine how their gift can remain flexible and responsive to community needs over time. These grants, generated from undesignated funds, are used to meet the emerging needs of the people of Schuylkill County.

In this situation, the suggested language to be used in a will is:
“I give _________________________ (description of gift) to Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, its successors or assigns, to be added to the Friends of the Foundation Fund for Schuylkill County.”