Each year, with the help of our members, Friends of the Mississippi River makes tangible progress toward a healthier, more inviting and more accessible Mississippi River — for everyone in the community. The challenges that we face together are many. A number of them require long-term attention and maintenance — invasive exotic species, population growth and development, and trail and water quality monitoring will be necessary long into the future.

You can ensure Friends of the Mississippi River’s ability to address these challenges for years to come, benefiting not only the current but future generations, by making a planned gift to Friends of the Mississippi River. A planned gift can be as simple as a bequest in a will or the donation of a life insurance policy. People are also making gifts through trusts, annuities or other planned giving vehicles.

Making a planned gift to Friends of the Mississippi River helps you leave a river legacy and protect your community’s water and land resources for future generations. Talk with your financial or estate planner, or call Heather today at 651-222-2193 x20 to learn more about making a gift to the river with lasting impact by becoming a member of the Mississippi River Legacy Society.

Friends of the Mississippi River can be named as a direct beneficiary of specific assets, a portion of your estate, or your residual estate after payment of other bequests. The benefits of leaving Friends of the Mississippi River in your will or estate plan include:

Personal Satisfaction

Have the satisfaction of completing your estate plan and providing for the people and organizations that matter the most to you.

Tax Savings

Capital gains and federal estate tax savings.

Freedom and Flexibility

Change your mind and your bequest at any time.

Leave A Lasting Legacy

Make a significant contribution toward conserving the Twin Cities’ river heritage.

Some ways to make your planned gift

Here is some sample language that can be used to make a planned gift to Friends of the Mississippi River through a variety of vehicles. For additional guidance or to let us know of your plans, please contact Heather Haynes, director of development, at 651-222-2193 x20 or through our contact form.

Sample language for bequests in your will

There are a number of ways to make a bequest in your will:

As an Unrestricted Gift:

To Establish a Memorial Fund:

A Gift for a Specific Purpose or Program:

Residual Gift (after other specific bequests are made):

Use your life insurance to benefit Friends of the Mississippi River:

There are many ways that you can use your life insurance policy to benefit both you, by maximizing your federal income tax deduction, and Friends of the Mississippi River, giving us a generous gift to help people understand, restore and protect rivers and their watersheds.

Charitable Remainder Trusts:

A Charitable Remainder Trust is a tax-exempt trust that pays income to your designee. When the trust terminates, the remaining assets would be paid to Friends of the Mississippi River.

Retirement Plan Designation:

Leave a lasting legacy by choosing Friends of the Mississippi River as a beneficiary of your retirement plan. The gift is exempt of federal estate tax and is a “tax-smart” way to maximize the impact of your gift and minimize taxes.

Retained Life Estate:

You can make a gift of a personal residence to Friends of the Mississippi River while retaining the right to live in it for life. FMR has gift acceptance policies that may limit or prohibit certain gifts of real estate or property. Please contact us before choosing this planned giving option.

Charitable Lead Trust:

A tax-advantaged way to pass assets along to your heirs. Fund a trust that pays income to Friends of the Mississippi River for a period of time (such as your lifetime or a number of years). Then, at the end of the term, the remainder is returned to either you or your heirs.

Moving forward with planned giving

You should talk with your attorney or financial planner about leaving your river legacy. The information presented here is not intended as financial advice. To find out more about ways to remember Friends of the Mississippi River in your estate plans, please contact Heather Haynes, director of development, at 651-222-2193 x20 or through our contact form. Read more…