Making an estate gift to PAWS is a meaningful way to carry forward your love and compassion for animals, and a wonderful way to thank every animal who has touched your life.
When you include PAWS in your will or planned giving, you are also eligible to enroll in our Lifetime Care Program—a special service that ensures that your adoptable cats or dogs who survive you will be cared for by PAWS until we find them a new, loving home.
If you’re looking for an online tool to help write your legal will, check out FreeWill.com to get started.
Bequests
Perhaps the most straightforward option is to make a bequest in your will. Whether you have vast assets or have only a few possessions, a will prevents legal complications and delays. It directs your personal representative to deal with your estate as you wish.
Another important aspect of a will is that it allows you to provide for the animals you care about after your death. Whether this means your own animals or those at PAWS, your will can continue a legacy of kindness.
If you decide to support PAWS through your will, you can:
- Direct a specific bequest of money or an asset (e.g. stock, a house) to PAWS.
- Designate a percentage of the total value of the estate.
- Designate a residual bequest that directs PAWS to receive the remainder of the estate, or a portion of the remainder, after all expenses and other bequests have been made.
Naming PAWS as a beneficiary
If you have a life insurance policy that is no longer needed to provide for dependents, consider naming PAWS as the beneficiary.
Some assets, such as IRAs and other qualified retirement plans, do not pass directly through your will and require you to name a beneficiary. Consider making PAWS a full or partial beneficiary.
You can also name PAWS as a beneficiary of a Certificate of Deposit (CD).
These plans can be excellent choices for charitable gifting because they are taxed more heavily than other assets-sometimes greater than 50 percent. However, by making PAWS the beneficiary, the full value of the account will pass to PAWS to be used to benefit the animals.
Remainder interest in personal residence
You can give your personal residence to PAWS while specifying that you (and/or another person) be permitted to continue using the property for life. This can result in a sizable tax deduction, depending upon the age(s) of the person(s) in question.
These are just some of the options of planned giving. Before deciding on what type of gift you might make to PAWS, please consult with your attorney. Tax laws change and an independent estate planning professional should always review your individual situation.
PAWS is recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our tax ID number is 91-6073154.
For more information on any of these planned giving options, or to let us know if you have already included PAWS in your estate plans, please contact Larry Symonds at lsymonds@paws.org or 541-250-1893. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential and imply no obligation to make a gift.
Nothing on this website should be construed as legal advice. Please contact your attorney or financial advisor to determine what is best for your personal situation.