Planting the seeds now to provide for future generations

Leave A River Legacy

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. 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 Fulfillment - 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 River Legacy - Make a significant contribution toward conserving the Twin Cities’ river heritage.

Ways of Giving

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 Jeanine Holden, Development Officer at 651-222-2193 x22 or jholden@fmr.org.)

Will Bequest

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

As an Unrestricted Gift:

I give to Friends of the Mississippi River, a non-profit corporation located at 360 North Robert Street, Ste. 400, St. Paul, MN 55101, the sum of $___________for its general purposes. (Or:___________% of my estate)

To Establish a Memorial Fund:

I give to Friends of the Mississippi River, a non-profit corporation located at 360 North Robert Street, Ste. 400, St. Paul, MN 55101, the sum of $__________, the same to be known as “The____________Memorial Fund”, the principle and income therefrom to be used for Friends of the Mississippi River’s general purposes.

A Gift for a Specific Purpose or Program:

I give to Friends of the Mississippi River, a non-profit corporation located at 360 North Robert Street, Ste. 400, St. Paul, MN 55101, the sum of $__________, to be used for_________________________________ (specify the purpose or program).

Residual Gift (after other specific bequests are made):

All the residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, I give to Friends of the Mississippi River, a non-profit corporation located at 360 North Robert Street, Ste. 400, St. Paul, MN 55101 to be used for its general purposes.

Life Insurance Policy

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 Trust

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

The information presented above is not intended to be financial advice, so please consult with your financial or estate planner. To learn more about making a lasting gift to the river and the Mississippi River Legacy Society, please contact Jeanine Holden, Development Officer, at 651-222-2193 x22 or jholden@fmr.org.