Planned Giving

For those who wish to providing ongoing support to the Marshall Steam Museum and Friends of Auburn Heights (FAH), there are a variety of options that can be tailored to suit your particular needs and financial situation.

 

BEQUESTS

“When you put down the good things you ought to have done, and leave out the bad ones you did do… well, that’s memoirs.” –Will Rogers

Whether or not we write our memoirs, in the end we are all remembered for our acts — for the lives we touch and by the causes we advance. In that respect, perhaps the most important thing that we can do to create a lasting legacy in our community would be to include the following provision in our Last Will and Testament:

“I give and bequeath the sum of $___________ [or state a percentage of the residual estate] to the Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve endowment fund at the Delaware Community Foundation, a Delaware nonprofit and section 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.”

This simple language is all it takes to create a perpetual gift that will help to carry on FAH’s mission forever. The word “endowment” means simply that the gift initially contributed will be held by the Delaware Community Foundation and invested for the benefit of FAH. The earnings from these investments will be contributed to FAH every year and then used by FAH to fulfill its mission.

Although endowments can be created anonymously, endowments customarily bear the name of their creator. This practice both properly memorializes those who made the gifts from the endowment possible and inspires others to emulate their example.

To learn more about making a charitable bequest for the Friends of Auburn Heights, please contact Susan Randolph in the FAH office by calling (302) 239-2385 or email srandolph@auburnheights.org.

 

WHY AN ENDOWMENT FUND?

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” — Decca Recording Company rejecting the Beatles, 1962

The future is hard to predict, but one thing we do know is that we will need resources to fuel our mission in years to come. That’s why we’ve established the Friends of Auburn Heights endowment fund at the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF). The fund is professionally invested for the long term. Each year, 5% of the average fund balance may be distributed to us to support our ongoing needs.

Our endowment fund benefits from the Foundation’s investment expertise and from being part of a large portfolio. The DCF employs gift planning professionals who will help our donors make current gifts and legacy gifts to our endowment fund. The DCF handles all administrative details and investment responsibilities for the fund, freeing our staff and volunteers to concentrate on our mission.

You can play a part. There are a variety of ways to give that provide you with maximum tax and financial benefits. They include:

  • A gift made in your will or trust;
  • A gift that pays you income for life;
  • A gift of life insurance or retirement plan assets.

We hope you will play a part in our future. To learn more, please contact Susan Randolph in the FAH office by calling (302) 239-2385 or email srandolph@auburnheights.org.