Ensuring the Future

The most fundamental way individuals help to ensure the future of Sacred Heart Schools is to make provision in a will directing a percentage or specific amount of the estate to Sacred Heart. Proper planning ensures that family and charitable priorities are realized and is an excellent way for you to support our mission.  You will be leaving a lasting legacy to Dear Sacred Heart!

There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to Sacred Heart Academy:

Outright Gift. A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset such as real estate or other property or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to Sacred Heart.

Percentage Bequest. Another kind of specific bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to Sacred Heart.

Residual Gift. A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to Sacred Heart.

Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to Sacred Heart.

Gifts in Trust. You may establish one or more trusts in your will that benefit family members or other persons as well as Sacred Heart.  One way is to designate that the earning from the trust property by paid to your spouse for his lifetime, with the trust property then transferring to Sacred Heart.

A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time. You can choose to designate that a bequest be used for a general or specific purpose.

Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs.