Planned Giving

Have you ever considered making a planned gift to a charity you are close to? Most donors say no. The concept of planned giving is often perceived to be reserved solely for the very rich. In reality, planned giving is available to donors at all levels. It can be particularly attractive for donors who do not have ready access to large amounts of cash and can provide the donor the ability to make a larger gift than they might have otherwise thought possible.

Bequests and the Heritage Society

Most planned gifts come in the form of a bequest or trust that is established as part of an individual’s estate and designated as part of their will. At ECHN, donors who indicate to us that they are going to make a gift as part of their estate plan become members of our Heritage Society. We appreciate their foresight in making us a beneficiary of their estate.

The Heritage Society was created to recognize those individuals, who in the spirit of our communities’ founding families, have provided for the future of Eastern Connecticut Health Network in their estate plans through a planned gift. Planning a bequest through your will is perhaps the oldest and easiest form of philanthropy. Many of our friends continue their lifetime of support by naming ECHN Community Healthcare Foundation in their will. They enjoy the quiet satisfaction of helping us continue to provide for the health and welfare of our community and the region for generations to come.

Other Planned Gifts

Certain types of planned gifts can help you to avoid some negative tax situations and will actually allow you to leave more of your estate to your heirs, rather than to the government. The following are all examples of assets that can be used to make planned gifts:

• cash
• marketable securities
• real estate
• stock
• life insurance

Some planned gifts can also provide you with tax benefits now while the assets pass to the charity later. Planned gifts in the form of a charitable gift annuity can provide you with a gift opportunity as well as an income stream for yourself, your spouse or other heirs.

The ECHN Foundation’s Planned Giving Committee helps us to implement a comprehensive planned giving program that benefits the donor as well as ECHN.

For more information on our planned giving program, please contact Nina Kruse, Administrative Director of Development at 860.647.4767 or via email at nkruse@echn.org.