Leave Your Legacy

Leave Your Legacy

Transform the future

What will your legacy be? Do you want to make a statement about your beliefs in family and your community? As you begin planning for the future, building a legacy within the Florence Crittenton family is a perfect opportunity to ensure this world is a better place for your community, your family, and their future.

The Montana Tax Credit is a unique tax credit incentive where a Montana taxpayer receives a reduction on the taxes s/he owes – up to $10,000 per year – by making a qualified charitable contribution to a qualified endowment. Florence Crittenton’s Foundation has a well-established endowment that provides annual support of tens of thousands of dollars per year. Your gift to the endowment ensures guaranteed funds support the operations of Florence Crittenton in perpetuity.

Giving a charitable contribution through your will is an excellent way to leave a lasting imprint. Making a bequest is easy – simply name Florence Crittenton Home and Services as a beneficiary of your estate.

Sample language would be:
I, [Full Name], give, devise, and bequeath to the Florence Crittenton Home and Services located in Helena, Montana, the sum of ________ dollars (or ______percent of the residue of my estate or other individual property appropriately described) to be used as its Board of Trustees shall deem advisable to best promote the Florence Crittenton’s objectives. 

While privacy is always your choice, if you are leaving a gift in your will you may always let Florence Crittenton know of this gift so you can be recognized as a Legacy Society member.

Charitable gifts of cash or stock to Endowments as a deferred gift are also eligible for great charitable tax deductions.  Plus, the annuity can make annual retirement income payments to you for the rest of your life. Florence Crittenton can work with you and your estate or tax planner to ensure proper documentation and tax credit for donation.

Naming Florence Crittenton as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy is another effortless way to keep your legacy strong and continue to help serve young families at FCH in the future. If your family is grown, and no longer in need or eligible for your life insurance benefits, this is an excellent option.

A gift of real property can greatly reduce your taxes while meeting your charitable goals. Gifts of property can be used directly by FCH, used as collateral for expansion projects, or sold for cash value for the organization. Gifts of real property must be considered in advance by Florence Crittenton staff; please contact the Development office if you are considering this type of gift, either now or in your will.

The IRA Charitable Rollover law allows individuals 70½ and older to transfer up to $100,000 from their individual retirement accounts directly to a qualified charitable organization without being subject to income taxes on the distribution.

Here are some helpful details:

  • You must be age 70½ or older at the time of the gift. This opportunity applies only to IRAs and not other types of retirement plans.
  • You can transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA. The gift can satisfy your annual minimum distribution.
  • You do not have to donate your entire annual distribution to the non-profit, making this a great option if you would like to keep some of the funds each year.
  • You transfer the funds outright to one or more qualified charities. The legislation does not permit direct transfers to charitable trusts, donor advised funds, or charitable gift annuities.

When J. Empson named Florence Crittenton in his will in 1926, he likely had difficulty imagining that over 90 years later, families would still be benefiting from his generosity. By setting up a trust, Mr. Empson has ensured that we receive a check every month since then representing our share of his estate. What could have been a single gift of only a few thousand dollars became a gift of nearly $700,000 and continues to grow! He has provided care to thousands of young families over the years. Mr. Empson’s gift is the perfect example of what a little planning can do. He wanted to find a way to help that would go beyond his lifetime, a Legacy. His legacy lives on in generations of families across  Montana.