Friends of Casco Bay’s Anchor Society
Providing for a healthy Casco Bay for the next generation
We invite you to join Friends of Casco Bay’s Anchor Society through making a planned gift. Planned giving helps us ensure the next generation can enjoy a healthy Casco Bay.
Why?
Casco Bay has sustained and defined our communities for generations. By making a planned gift, such as a bequest, to Friends of Casco Bay, you can have a lasting positive impact on our organization and on the health of the Bay. Your planned gift may provide you with significant benefits through future estate tax savings, income tax savings, and a reduction of capital gains taxes.
How? What types of gifts do we accept?
There are numerous types of planned gifts. We encourage you to speak with your financial or tax advisor to help decide which may be best for you.
Bequests
We invite you to make a lasting legacy by putting Friends of Casco Bay in your will. In a will or a trust, a cash amount may be left to Friends using the following language: “I give and devise to Friends of Casco Bay, located in South Portland, Maine, the sum of $______ to be used for its general charitable purposes.” Alternatively, a gift of a fraction of an estate’s or trust’s value may be made using language such as, “I give and devise to Friends of Casco Bay, located in South Portland, Maine, ______ percent of the value of my residuary estate” (or “of my trust”).
Gifts that will pay you an income
If you are in or approaching retirement, a charitable gift annuity allows you to donate
to Friends of Casco Bay and receive guaranteed income for the rest of your life. Charitable gift annuities allow a donor to make a gift in exchange for our organization’s agreement to pay a fixed payment for life, either on an immediate or deferred basis.
Real estate and other gifts
A complete list of the type of gifts Friends of Casco Bay accepts can be found in our Gift Acceptance Policy. Gifts, such as closely held securities, real estate, and other personal property, can be accepted only with the approval of our Board of Directors — and we would be delighted to explore the options with you.
Beneficiary designation of retirement plan assets
Designating Friends of Casco Bay as a partial or full beneficiary of your retirement plan can reduce income and estate taxes. Contact the administrator of your retirement fund to designate our organization as a death beneficiary.
IRA charitable rollovers
If you are 70 1⁄2 or older, you can use the IRA charitable rollover to donate up to $100,000 per year to Friends of Casco Bay and avoid paying income taxes on the gift. The gift must come from your IRA or Roth IRA.
Gifts of life insurance
We accept fully-paid whole life, ordinary life, or endowment policies on which no future premium payments are due.
You can view a copy of our Gift Acceptance Policy here. To have a confidential discussion about making a planned gift to Friends of Casco Bay, please contact Executive Director Will Everitt [willeveritt [at] cascobay [dot] org, (207) 799-8574 ext. 204].
“Prior to a recent trip to Antarctica I thought to update my aged estate plans in case an Orca attacked my kayak or I experienced an untoward medical event in the Drake Passage. I wanted to include bequests to nonprofits, including Friends of Casco Bay. I like Friends because it gathers significant data relevant to climate issues, works pragmatically to affect policy and enforcement, provides clear and helpful educational materials, and engages members in its activities. Visiting
Antarctica, with its breathtaking natural beauty and vulnerability to climate change, reinforced to me the value of supporting Friends of Casco Bay. A bequest is a long-term investment, and climate change is a long-term issue.”
–Dan Emery, Anchor Society Donor
A LASTING LEGACY
Longtime Friend of the Bay Stanley Bennett left a generous donation in his will, designating that the gift should support our Baykeeper Boats Fund and that part of the gift should purchase an anchor for our boat. Stan’s bequest was generous, meaningful, and symbolic of the stability and lasting impact one person can have on the health of the Bay. Our Anchor Society was born.
All donors who make a planned gift to Friends of Casco Bay will be listed as Anchor Society members, receive special updates, and know that they are helping to ensure the health of the Bay for generations to come.