First steps to building a life changing legacy
Leave a legacy of compassion
Monadnock Humane Society has worked to build a compassionate community for people and animals since 1875. Leaving a gift to MHS in your will, trust, or other planned gift by designating Monadnock Humane Society as your beneficiary can make a lasting difference in our vital and compelling work to save the lives of more animals than ever before. Many gifts cost you nothing now, there is no minimum contribution, and you are not locked into a decision you make today. Please note, this is not intended to be legal or financial advice and we strongly encourage you to consult your CPA or legal council on all matters that require legally binding agreements.
When you give to MHS through one of the methods highlighted below, you will automatically be added into our Jennie B. Powers Legacy Society. No minimum donation is required and there is no additional fee to join. The benefits include invitations to society-only events, pre-sale tickets to annual fundraisers, a MHS Legacy Society pin and a special listing in our annual impact report.
BEQUESTS
A bequest to the Monadnock Humane Society is a wonderful way to express your love for animals as part of your legacy.
To make the process of creating a request simple, use FreeWill, a free, online resource that guides you through the process of creating a will in 20 minutes or less. It’s easy to use, and always free, regardless of whether or not you choose to include Monadnock Humane Society in your will. Get started today!
If you have already included Monadnock Humane Society in your will or trust, please fill out this form to let us know! We’d love to thank you for your generosity and welcome you into our Jennie B. Powers Legacy Society, learn more here.
How It Works
Include a bequest to Monadnock Humane Society in your will or trust. Make your bequest unrestricted within the Monadnock Humane Society. An unrestricted gift ensures that we are able to use the funds where it is needed the most and where it can make the biggest impact.
Indicate a specific amount or a percentage of the estate or trust.
Sample Language:
“I bequeath _________(dollar amount or % of estate) to be used for its general purpose to the Monadnock Humane Society, Inc., or its successors and/or assigns by merger or purchase, federal tax identification number 02-6005610, whose permanent address is 101 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446”
Benefit to You
Your assets remain in your control during your lifetime. You can modify your bequest to address changing circumstances.
You can direct your bequest to a particular purpose (be sure to check with us to make sure your gift can be used as intended).
There could be a tax benefit available to you for your contribution. Please consult with your tax advisor to see if this applies to you.
LIFE INSURANCE
Monadnock Humane Society accepts gifts of life insurance either as the beneficiary of a policy or as the sole owner and sole beneficiary. This can be an existing, an employer-provided policy or a paid-up policy.
You can name Monadnock Humane Society as a primary life insurance beneficiary or as a contingent beneficiary should your other beneficiaries not survive you.
After your lifetime, the benefits from your policy pass to Monadnock Humane Society, free of federal estate tax.
EXISTING OR EMPLOYER PROVIDED LIFE INSURANCE
How It Works
- Contact your life insurance carrier and request a beneficiary form.
- Designate Monadnock Humane Society as a primary or contingent beneficiary.
Benefit to You
- Simple to give: Involves little effort or paperwork.
- Financial advantage: Continued ownership of your policy.
- Flexibility: You can change your mind and your beneficiaries at any time.
- Future tax savings: Removes the asset from your potential gross taxable estate.
PAID-UP POLICY
How it Works
- You transfer ownership of a paid-up life insurance policy to Monadnock Humane Society.
- Monadnock Humane Society cashes in the policy now or maintains it and receives the death benefit later.
Benefit to You
- Income tax savings: You’re entitled to a current income tax deduction as a charitable contribution.
- Future tax savings: Removes the asset from your potential gross taxable estate.
RETIREMENT PLANS
Retirement Plan assets include tax-deferred retirement saving accounts, like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), 401(k), 403(b), annuities, Keogh, and pension plans. Gifts from these accounts, while you are still living, may have withdrawal penalties and may have income tax consequences. However, naming the Monadnock Humane Society as the beneficiary of your retirement assets at your death may have tax benefits for you.
If the largest asset in your estate is your retirement plan, such as a 401(k), IRA, or Keogh, you may be surprised to learn that the IRS will impose income tax on the remaining balance in the account if you designate it to a beneficiary other than your spouse.
The income from the after-death distribution of a tax-deferred retirement plan to an heir is taxable as income and is in addition to the estate tax that may be imposed on the account. There could be a tax benefit available to you for your contribution. Please consult with your tax advisor to see if this applies to you.
How It Works
- Name the Monadnock Humane Society as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) or other qualified plan.
- Designate Monadnock Humane Society to receive all or a portion of the balance of your plan through your plan administrator. The balance in your plan reverts to Monadnock Humane Society after your lifetime.
- Your gift to Monadnock Humane Society is not subject to estate tax because Monadnock Humane Society is a tax-exempt organization.
Benefit to You
- You get to make a decision now where your money goes and can see first hand what impact it has on the lives of animals and humans in need.
- Continue to take regular lifetime withdrawals. You can remove MHS as a beneficiary if your family’s needs change.
STOCKS, BONDS AND MUTUAL FUNDS
These are the most common types of securities in a person’s portfolio. By making a gift of securities to the Monadnock Humane Society, you can claim the full-appreciated value of the Securities as a charitable contribution deduction and you could potentially avoid the capital gains tax, please consult your tax advisor.
PET SAFE, PET TRUST PROGRAM
Giving you peace of mind, and ensuring the care of your pets after you’re gone.
Giving you peace of mind, and ensuring the care of your pets after you’re gone.
If you have pets, you want the comfort of knowing they will be cared for and loved if anything should happen to you. We strongly recommend that you remember your pets when crafting your estate plan. Find someone you can trust to leave them to, and talk to this person so they know your plans. If, however, you do not have anyone to leave your pets to, Monadnock Humane Society now offers a program called Pet Safe to ensure your pet is taken care of, in their new home with a loving family, when you are gone or are disabled.
PLEASE NOTE – Our Pet Safe, Pet Trust program in no way takes away from our other services and programs. We will always take in your pets after you are gone, regardless of whether you have supported MHS financially!
Monadnock Humane Society is a local, non-profit corporation, funded through the support of community members like you.
If your will or trust document does not specify who will transport the pets to our agency in New Hampshire, we can work with your personal representative, trustee, or other responsible party to have your pet safely transported to our shelter facility. The cost of transport from outside of the boundaries of New hampshire is the responsibility of the pet owner or his/her estate, In accordance with state pet transports laws.
We suggest a minimum planned gift of $5,000 bequeathed to Monadnock Humane Society, Federal Identification Number 02-6005610, to support your pets’ enrollment.
A planned gift may be:
- A bequest in your will or trust;
- Naming Monadnock Humane Society as beneficiary of your life insurance or qualified retirement plan;
- Naming Monadnock Humane Society as the beneficiary of a “transfer on death” bank or stock account;
Required next steps for enrolling a dog or cat in Pet Safe:
- Complete one Pet Safe Enrollment Agreement for each of your pets;
- Complete one Pet Safe Pet Profile for each of your pets; Dog or Cat.
- Make out a check payable to Monadnock Humane Society in an amount of $250 for each pet as a nonrefundable Reservation Fee.
- Mail completed documents and check to: Pet Safe – Pet Trusts, Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446
For more information and other ways to set up planned giving options, please work with your tax and estate planning professional.