Legacy Circle: Bequest & Planned-Gift Society Program Guide
A complete program guide for a recognition society around gifts in wills, beneficiary designations, and other planned gifts — capitalizing on the exceptional bequest potential of deeply-bonded animal donors — including pet-survivor/continued-care commitments.
Draft: pending review
This starter document is signed off by Planned-giving specialist + estate/trust counsel + CFRE before it ships. The guardrails below define that review.
What’s inside
- Society naming, benefits, and a non-binding statement-of-intent template
- Marketing sequence targeting 5+ year sustainers, with sample bequest language for donors' attorneys
- Continued-pet-care / pet-survivor program outline for donors leaving surviving animals to the org
- Executor and estate-administration checklist for realized bequests, including restricted-gift handling
Legal & ethical guardrails
The sector-specific compliance points this document must honor.
- Bequest administration and donor restrictions: capture and permanently honor restrictions; establish a documented process (gift agreement or board action, cy-près-style redirection with counsel) for restricted bequests that can no longer be fulfilled
- Do not book revocable expectancies as pledges/revenue (ASC 958-605); an IRREVOCABLE remainder/life-income interest, by contrast, IS recorded at present value. Continued-pet-care commitments need an actuarial funding-adequacy analysis and a state pet-trust vehicle (UTC §408 / equivalent), not an informal promise
- Continued-care/pet-survivor commitments create real future obligations; document funding assumptions before promising lifetime care and coordinate pet-trusts with counsel
- Provide balanced information and urge donors to consult their own advisors; do not draft donor wills or give individualized legal advice
Held for professional review.
The native DOCX and full working text ship only after sign-off by Planned-giving specialist + estate/trust counsel + CFRE on this exact version. The summary and review requirements remain visible in the meantime.
Not legal advice. Not legal, tax, or accounting advice. The Fundraising Co. provides educational fundraising materials and is not a law firm; nothing here creates an attorney–client relationship or substitutes for advice from professionals licensed in your jurisdiction. Laws and IRS rules vary by state and change over time. Review every document with qualified counsel before use.