Make-A-Will Month, meaningful milestones, and passing along the values that matter most
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Greetings from [ABC Charity]!
August is Make-A-Will Month—a timely reminder that one of the most meaningful gifts you can make may be a gift that comes in the future.
A will is, first and foremost, an expression of caring for the people you love and making sure your wishes are carried out. It can also be a powerful way to express the values and causes that have mattered throughout your life. For supporters of [ABC Charity], including our organization in your estate plan can help ensure that the mission you care about today remains strong for generations to come.
This month, we're looking at legacy planning from three angles: how simple it can be to include [ABC Charity] in your will or trust, why major life milestones are a good time to revisit your plans, and how charitable giving can help you pass along values as well as assets.
Make-A-Will Month: A simple step toward a lasting legacy
You do not need an enormous estate—or an elaborate plan—to leave a meaningful charitable legacy. Learn how a simple gift through your will or trust can help [ABC Charity] continue its work well into the future, while still allowing you to provide for the people you love.
From success to significance: Revisit your legacy after a major milestone
Retirement, the sale of a business, an inheritance, a new grandchild, or another important milestone can change the way you think about the future. These moments can also be a natural time to review your estate plan and consider whether [ABC Charity] has a place in the legacy you're building.
A “big” inheritance may not be all financial
The Great Wealth Transfer is often described in dollars, businesses, investments, and real estate. But many families are thinking about something more enduring: the values they want to pass along. A charitable legacy can help tell future generations what mattered to you—and invite them to carry those values forward.
Thank you for believing in the work of [ABC Charity]. Your generosity makes a difference today, and we would be honored to help you explore ways your support can continue making a difference tomorrow.
—Your friends at [ABC Charity]
THIS MONTH’S
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Make-A-Will Month: A simple step toward a lasting legacy
August is widely recognized as Make-A-Will Month, which makes this a fitting time to ask a question that is easy to postpone: Does your estate plan still reflect what matters most to you?
For many people, a will is primarily about protecting family members, naming guardians, and making sure property is distributed according to their wishes. Those priorities come first. But your will or trust can also be a place to remember organizations that have been meaningful during your lifetime—including [ABC Charity].
A charitable bequest can be surprisingly straightforward. Depending on your circumstances and your attorney's guidance, you might leave [ABC Charity] a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after gifts to family and other beneficiaries have been made.
And you do not need to consider yourself wealthy to make a difference. Legacy gifts come in many sizes. What they share is intention: a donor has decided that the mission mattered enough to become part of the future they are planning.
That future support matters. According to the latest Giving USA report, charitable bequests totaled more than $62 billion in 2025, increasing nearly 20% in current dollars over the prior year and representing the fastest-growing source of charitable giving. Those gifts help organizations like [ABC Charity] continue serving people, strengthening programs, and responding to needs that may look very different years from now.
Make-A-Will Month can be your reminder to take one practical step. If you do not have a will, consider talking with an estate planning attorney about creating one. If you already have a plan, review it to make sure it reflects your current family circumstances, assets, and charitable wishes.
If [ABC Charity] has been meaningful to you, we would be honored if you would consider including our organization in your estate plans. You may also want to review beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and other financial accounts, because those assets often pass outside a will and can provide another simple way to create a future charitable gift.
Your attorney, CPA, and financial advisor can help you determine which approach is right for you. And if you would like information about [ABC Charity] to share with your advisors—or simply want to talk about the kind of impact a future gift could make—we would be delighted to hear from you.
A will is a legal document, but the intentions behind it are deeply personal. This August, a few minutes spent thinking about your legacy could become a gift that strengthens [ABC Charity] for generations.
From success to significance: Revisit your legacy after a major milestone
Life's big milestones cover a lot of ground. Some are deeply personal, such as welcoming a grandchild, retiring after a long career, or celebrating a significant birthday. Others are financial: selling a business, receiving an inheritance, exercising stock options, selling valuable real estate, or experiencing another significant change in your financial picture.
These moments often bring a sense of accomplishment. They can also bring something else: a natural opportunity to pause and ask, “What matters most now?” and “What do I want the next chapter to stand for?”
That is one reason major milestones can be excellent times to review your will, trust, and beneficiary designations. An estate plan created years ago may no longer reflect your family, your finances, or the organizations that have become important to you. Make-A-Will Month is a useful reminder that estate planning is not a one-time task—it is something worth revisiting as life changes.
For many supporters, [ABC Charity] becomes part of that reflection. Perhaps our mission has been important to your family for years. Maybe you have volunteered, attended events, made annual gifts, or seen firsthand how the work changes lives. A future gift can turn that lifetime connection into lasting support.
There are several ways to do that, and many are simpler than people expect:
—You can include [ABC Charity] in your will or trust by leaving a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or a share of the remaining estate after other gifts have been made.
—You can name [ABC Charity] as a beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, bank or brokerage account, or other asset that allows a beneficiary designation. These designations generally can be updated without rewriting your entire will, although you should coordinate them carefully with your overall estate plan.
—If your plans involve a more complex asset, such as a closely held business interest, real estate, or a charitable trust, your legal and tax advisors can help you explore the options. In some situations, [ABC Charity] may also work with the local community foundation to help facilitate a gift that requires specialized expertise.
The important point is not to choose a particular technique on your own. It is to recognize that major life changes are an excellent prompt to bring your charitable wishes into the same conversation as the rest of your planning. Your attorney, tax advisor, and financial advisor can help you determine what makes sense for your circumstances.
Whether your milestone happened last month or years ago, it is never a bad time to ask whether your plans still match your priorities. If supporting [ABC Charity] is one of those priorities, we'd be honored to be part of the conversation.
A “big” inheritance may not be all financial
Welcome to the Great Wealth Transfer. Over the coming decades, trillions of dollars are expected to pass from one generation to the next in forms ranging from cash and investments to real estate and business interests.
Understandably, much of the discussion focuses on the assets themselves: Who will inherit the family business? What will happen to the investment portfolio? How should an estate plan be structured? Those are important questions. But many families are beginning to ask another one: “What values do we want to pass along, too?”
For many people, generosity is one of those values. A charitable legacy is not simply about what happens to assets after death. It can also be a way to show children and grandchildren which causes mattered during your lifetime and why you chose to support them.
That is especially meaningful during Make-A-Will Month. When you review your estate plan, you are not merely deciding where property goes. You are putting your priorities into writing. Including [ABC Charity] can send a powerful message: “This work mattered to me, and I want it to continue.”
Here are a few ideas to consider as you think about the legacy behind your inheritance:
—Talk with your family about why you support [ABC Charity]. The stories behind your giving—what first drew you to the mission, what experiences moved you, and what you hope your generosity accomplishes—may be more memorable than any dollar amount.
—Review your will or trust. If it has been several years since you looked at your documents, ask whether they still reflect the people and organizations that matter to you today. A charitable bequest can be structured in many ways, and your estate planning attorney can help you choose an approach that fits your goals.
—Do not overlook beneficiary designations. Retirement plans, life insurance policies, and certain financial accounts may pass according to beneficiary forms rather than your will. Reviewing those forms is an important part of making sure your entire plan works together.
—Remember that charitable gifts do not have to compete with family. Many donors choose to provide first for loved ones and also reserve a percentage or other portion of their estate for a cause they care about. There is no single formula for a meaningful legacy.
—Consider involving the next generation now. Invite children or grandchildren to volunteer with you, attend an [ABC Charity] event, or simply talk about why the mission matters to you. Shared experiences can turn generosity into a family value rather than a one-time transaction.
For individuals and couples with especially large estates, charitable planning also may have estate tax implications. Estate tax rules apply to a relatively small number of families, so your attorney, CPA, and financial advisor should determine whether this is relevant to you. The larger point is that charitable estate planning can serve both personal and financial goals when it is thoughtfully coordinated with your overall plan.
Even when taxes are not a concern, a charitable bequest can still become one of the most meaningful gifts you make. It allows you to care for family while also helping ensure that [ABC Charity]'s work continues for people you may never meet.
Estate plans transfer assets. Legacies transfer something more: values, priorities, and a sense of what we hope will endure. If [ABC Charity] is part of the legacy you hope to leave, we would be honored to help you think through the impact you want your future gift to make and to provide information for you and your professional advisors.
[ABC Charity] is honored to be part of your charitable giving. This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice. Please consult your tax, legal, and financial advisors to learn how this information might apply to your own situation.