Have you thought about making a will only to realize you don’t know how to begin? If making a will has been on your mind but you’ve never managed to take the steps to get it done, this is a great time to do it. August is Make-A-Will month!
Having a will benefits your loved ones and the organizations that are important to you. If you choose to gift some of your assets to a nonprofit that’s doing good work, the process is simple. Naming the Council in your will is one way to ensure that vital vision services will continue for generations.
Here’s how it works:
- You include a statement in your will designating the dollar amount or percentage of your estate you would like the Council to receive. We suggest this wording:
“I give, devise and bequeath to the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired, Madison, Wisconsin (insert dollar amount or percentage of the residue of my estate) to be used for the Council’s general purposes.”
- Upon your death, the Council receives the gift and uses it to provide vision services for people in Wisconsin.
When you make a gift to the Council, you can be confident it will make a positive impact for people who are blind or low vision well into the future. The benefits are many:
- You provide future support for the Council and the clients we serve.
- Your gift will not be subject to federal estate tax.
- You can become a member of the Council’s Legacy Circle, joining others who have planned for the future.
- You can change your bequest at any time.
Every gift to the Council helps us support the independence and dignity of people with vision loss across Wisconsin. Last year, our vision services team created a series of videos to help people who may not live in our regular service area. For example, this video demonstrates tactile labeling techniques. It is just one of many helpful product demonstrations available to our clients, and it was made possible by support from people like you. You can find more videos on vision services topics on our YouTube channel.
Charitable giving can take many forms. Visit WCBlind.org/Donate to hear an audio recording about your options for planning your estate gifts. Thank you!