How would you want to help when you're gone?

A lot of our (shelters) donations come from Bequests. People leave us in their wills - sometimes they leave their estates or just money. Two years ago someone left us their beach condo in their will. These types of things really help shelters keep going.

from our website

Every once in a while we receive an envelope in the mail from an attorney’s office that lets us know we have been remembered in someone’s will.  Sometimes it is a small amount of money, sometimes we are not aware of the value, sometimes it is property, and sometimes it is a sum of money that allows us to make a significant improvement in the Humane Society.  Very often when we are remembered in someone’s will, the reason why the donor chose the Humane Society isn’t known.  We wonder – could it have been because we provided a kind service to them or their pet?  Did they adopt from us several years ago – did that dog or cat enrich their lives so much that they wanted to give back that happiness to help some other animals?  Did we help ease their sadness when they had to put a beloved pet to sleep?  Did we send one of our pets and volunteers to visit them when they were sick in a nursing home, or did the donor just care about animals?  We may never know; but one thing we do know that each of the donors have in common is the TRUST they place in the Humane Society.

erica1989

A lot of our (shelters) donations come from Bequests. People leave us in their wills - sometimes they leave their estates or just money. Two years ago someone left us their beach condo in their will. These types of things really help shelters keep going.

Yes - that's a great idea too. I'm probably overthinking it all but what I'd really like is to leave something that kept on giving - ya know? For example, a coworkers mom passed away last year. She was a music teacher and so in lieu of flowers, they asked for donations towards an endowment to help students at the college pursuing a degree in music. I thought that was an awesome idea and will likely try to do something similar at the vet school. I plan to volunteer with a rescue or shelter when I retire and so that will give me other ideas also.

I would donate to ensure that inner city and homeless pets got free spay and neutering. You'd be surprised about the huge amount of homeless people who have dogs and maybe even more surprised to know they take care of their dogs better then themselves. Not to mention the dogs are a blessed presence for these homeless people, providing companionship, comfort, safety and unconditional love which is something very hard for a homeless person to find.

About three years ago I was walking Rory on a gentle lead and we came across a homeless lady being talked to by the police about her not being able to control her huge lab mix because she was so packed down with her belongings and her push cart, all teh weight and the pulling dog was too much for her, she was crying saying "please dont take my dog, I dont have anyone else". I didnt thinktwice about handing over my gentle leader and now 3 years later I have given her and her homeless friends a lot of dog supplies.

AuroraLove

Not to mention the dogs are a blessed presence for these homeless people, providing companionship, comfort, safety and unconditional love which is something very hard for a homeless person to find.

Oh man, that is so true and another great idea. What you did to help that poor lady and her dog was wonderful. I'm not sure how one would go about setting up something that would pay for that, but it's a great idea and worth checking in to.

AuroraLove

I would donate to ensure that inner city and homeless pets got free spay and neutering. You'd be surprised about the huge amount of homeless people who have dogs and maybe even more surprised to know they take care of their dogs better then themselves. Not to mention the dogs are a blessed presence for these homeless people, providing companionship, comfort, safety and unconditional love which is something very hard for a homeless person to find. 

This is a great idea.  I'm leaning toward leaving something to the Mercer Clinic in Sacramento myself.  They're overseen  by vets and staffed by UCD vet students and operate pretty much from donations.  They tend to the vet care for pets of the homeless - do spay/neuters, general health care, treat infections etc. I think the homeless have a stronger bond with their dogs than a lot of people do simply because they don't have anyone else in their lives. Most of us have spouses/SOs, parents, in-laws, children, step-children, co-workers, friends, etc. The homeless really often have absolutely no one that cares a rap about them .... except for their dogs.

Joyce

fuzzy_dogs_mom

I'm leaning toward leaving something to the Mercer Clinic in Sacramento myself.  They're overseen  by vets and staffed by UCD vet students and operate pretty much from donations.  They tend to the vet care for pets of the homeless - do spay/neuters, general health care, treat infections etc.

Yes Joyce, that's just the kind of info I wanted. I didn't even realize there was such a place. Thank you!

AuroraLove, that is so awesome!  What a selfless thing to do!

I don't have much, but will try to donate something to my local shelter when I'm gone (note to self: review will and update).  My son is my only heir (geez, that sounds like I'm wealthy or something), but he will have to accept what he gets and be thankful for it.

Don't tell the kids. I have made it clear that I intend to spend ALL my money before I die, but on the rare chance that I have a little nest egg laying around I would give it to the Veterinary College at Guelph University. I figure that way I am not only helping animals but young talented minds as well.  

denise m

Don't tell the kids. I have made it clear that I intend to spend ALL my money before I die,

Ha-ha, it's that quandry of wanting to live life to the fullest but have enough saved to live off of for XX amount of years. I don't have any children of my own, but I do have a SD. What savings I have was left to me by my father and I feel really responsible to do something honorable with it. He was an animal lover, so I know he'd be pleased to know it was helping in that way.

I would probably leave something to the local rescues I've had dealings with (the MIGSDR and Vicky's Pet Connection where we got Coke and one of my rescue cats).  Our Humane Society is NOT affiliated with HSUS and is operated solely on private donations, so I'd leave something to them.  Also, the C-SNIP program that helps with feral cats and "low pay spay".

cakana

She was a music teacher and so in lieu of flowers, they asked for donations towards an endowment to help students at the college pursuing a degree in music.

We actually had someone do this for us as well! It was very sweet, and when the lady left, I just about broke down completely! Her husband passed away, and instead of gifts or flowers, he had requested that his loved ones send a donation to us. The wife brought in a bunch of money donations - she was the sweetest person, she said more would be coming throughout the weeks.

Another thing I love (slightly off topic.... but I wanna share it!) is the kids that have birthday parties for the animals. They ask for doggy stuff and money to donate to the shelters. It's very cute.  (ok, back on topic now)

What a wonderful gift!

 I am a fundraising professional, and I can tell you there are MANY ways to set up something like that using assets.  If you identify an organization you'd like to support, you can call them and ask for more information on how to leave a gift.  Oftentimes they will have a development officer, or at least a Board member who can let you know what kinds of endowments will be most useful.  Highly restricted endowments (supporting only dogs with only three legs and are blind) can be VERY difficult to actually use.  Also, be aware that most endowments, while they do grow, only "pay out" to the organization about 3-5 % of the corpus so that it doesn't diminish in the future.  So, a $100,000 endowment will provide the organization $3,000 - $5,000 on an annual basis.  You can even set up a private trust to do all this so that it is managed by financial professionals if the charity is too small to properly handle managing the gift.  Your financial adviser can help you figure out the best way to do this.

This is probably WAYYYY more info than you wanted to know!

g8rfrog

What a wonderful gift!

 I am a fundraising professional, and I can tell you there are MANY ways to set up something like that using assets.  If you identify an organization you'd like to support, you can call them and ask for more information on how to leave a gift.  Oftentimes they will have a development officer, or at least a Board member who can let you know what kinds of endowments will be most useful.  Highly restricted endowments (supporting only dogs with only three legs and are blind) can be VERY difficult to actually use.  Also, be aware that most endowments, while they do grow, only "pay out" to the organization about 3-5 % of the corpus so that it doesn't diminish in the future.  So, a $100,000 endowment will provide the organization $3,000 - $5,000 on an annual basis.  You can even set up a private trust to do all this so that it is managed by financial professionals if the charity is too small to properly handle managing the gift.  Your financial adviser can help you figure out the best way to do this.

This is probably WAYYYY more info than you wanted to know!

Thank you and this is all the kind of information I'm looking for. I'm am planning to work on a living trust very soon and just want to be as prepared as I can.

I am very familiar with the organization we donated to and made notes of which horses were to get what amount, all horses to get such & such, and the rest towards hay, medical/farrier treatment, etc. This year we will do the same...and hopefully, with the financial capability, continue with subsequent years.

In answer to your question, my hope would be that after I pass on, family members will follow suit and consider needy animals or other organizations that are dear to their heart during the gift buying season and all year.