Giving to Feline Friends
Feline Friends invites you to leave a legacy of compassion and generosity by remembering our cats in your estate plan. There are several ways that you can provide for a gift to Feline Friends:
(1)Bequests in Last Will & Testament: You may wish to leave a certain dollar amount, a certain type of property, or a percentage of your estate, to Feline Friends upon your death. You may easily accomplish any of these goals in your Last Will & Testament. Examples for each such bequests follow.
(a)Bequest- Specific Dollar Amount- “I give, devise, and bequeath to Feline Friends, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (tax identification number: 04-3241926) the sum of [fill in number] Dollars.”
(b)Bequest- Specific Property- “I give, devise, and bequeath to Feline Friends, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (tax identification number : 04-3241926), all of my right, title and interest in and to that real property located at ABC Street, Longmeadow, Massachusetts”
(c)Bequest- Percentage of Estate- I give, devise, and bequeath to Feline Friends, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (tax identification number : 04-3241926)[fill in percentage] percent of my residuary estate.”
You may alternately wish to provide for a gift to Feline Friends only in the event that certain other beneficiaries of your estate plan predecease you. Such a gift is called a “contingent bequest,” and sample language follows:
“In the event that (name i.e., spouse) predeceases me, or passes away simultaneously with me, or during the administration of my estate, then I give, devise and bequeath all assets of my estate that would have passed to him/her hereunder to Feline Friends, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (tax identification number : 04-3241926)”
(2)Trust Agreements. If you have a trust agreement or decide to have a trust agreement in the future, you may name Feline Friends as a beneficiary under your trust, using substantially the same language as provided for a Last Will & Testament, above. If you have any questions regarding proper language for a trust, please consult an estate planning attorney in your state of residence, or email Elizabeth Strole at or a referral to an estate planning attorney in your state of residence.
(3)Beneficiary Designations Under Retirement Plans or Life Insurance. You may wish to designate Feline Friends as a beneficiary under your 401(k) plan, IRA, or life insurance policy. You may designate Feline Friends as the sole beneficiary under any such plan/policy, or you may specify that Feline Friends receive a certain percentage of the payout under such plan/policy.If you are married, your surviving spouse is usually entitled by law to receive the entire amount in certain retirement plans, but your spouse may sign a written waiver allowing the gift to us. Please check with your plan administrator if you have any questions on designating Feline Friends as a beneficiary under a retirement account. You may contact your retirement plan administrator or insurance agent, as applicable, in order to obtain the form required to make your beneficiary designations.
(4)Gifts Prior to Death. Your estate may be sizeable enough to result in estate tax (state, federal, or both) upon your death. In this case, prior to death you may wishto remove assets from your estate. You may do this by making gifts, and hence reducing the size of your estate, and accordingly the estate taxes due on your death. You will receive an income tax deduction for making such gifts to Feline Friends, as it is a registered 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. As of 2016, you may make a gift of up to $14,000 per year ($28,000 for married couples) to a recipient without the need to file a gift tax return.
(5)Miscellaneous Gifts. Feline Friends is happy to accept gifts of stock or bonds, either as a beneficiary under your estate plan, or as recipient of the gift prior to your death. We also accept gifts of personal property, such as old vehicles, collections of collectibles, and any other item of value that you may own.
(6)Gifts in Lieu of Flowers. If you are unable to leave any of your assets to Feline Friends, you may alternately wish to ask others to honor you with donations to us. Many people request that their loved ones make donations to their favorite charities upon their death, in lieu of flowers. Feline Friends is happy to accept such donations in honor of its supporters.
We are happy to answer any questions that you may have about how you can make a lasting impact on Feline Friends, and provide referrals for estate planning attorneys that you may wish to use. Please call Elizabeth Strole at (860) 597-3272 with any questions, or email her at .