Legacy

Introduction to the RISI Leave a Legacy Program

The  Rolf Institute Leave a Legacy Program ia a formal program where the Rolfing Community is able to donate through planned giving to the already established RISI Endowment Fund. Planned giving is the process of making a charitable gift or donation, usually donations, that are deferred and that require some type of planning, so that the gift complies with the legal requirements necessary to qualify it for estate and/or income tax benefits. The purpose of a nonprofit establishing a planned giving program is long-term sustainability through the establishment and maintenance of a permanent endowment fund that preserves and grows funding for future operations and projects. The Gold standard for planned giving is for the Rolf Institute organization to be able to meet up to 100% of its operating goals through the established endowment – a challenging goal, to say the least, but one that healthy nonprofits aim to achieve through their planned giving programs. Consider Leaving a Legacy that will ensure that the vision of Dr. Ida P. Rolf  continues to grow through the work of  Rolfing Structural Integration and Rolf Movement Integration.
 

Ten ways to Leave a Legacy


1. Have an estate plan. A will or living trust benefits you and your family and can easily include a bequest to our organization. If you need to write or revise your estate plan, call for our organization’s estate planning organizer.
 
2. Make a bequest. Ask your attorney to review the following wording and include it in your will: “I give and bequeath our organization (tax identification number), located in (City), (State), and the sum of _____________________________ dollars ($ _______________) OR _______________ percent (__________ %) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate OR the following described property: ___________________________________________________________________.”
 
(Make sure the bequest language you use conforms to the requirements of state and federal law.)
 
3. Name the Rolf Institute organization as a beneficiary of your retirement plan.
 
4. Name the Rolf Institute organization as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.
 
5. Create a charitable remainder trust. Contribute cash, stock or real estate to a charitable trust and receive an immediate income tax deduction, a tax-free bypass of capital gains, and income for life.
 
6. Take out a charitable gift annuity. This simple contract offers many of the same benefits of a charitable remainder trust (see #5 above). The payments to you are fixed, guaranteed, and partially tax-free. The older you are, the higher the payment.
 
7. Give your house and keep it, too. Former President and First Lady Carter did this. A residence of theirs will go to charity when the Carters die, but they retain the right to live there for life. They got a big income tax deduction, but still enjoy the use of the home.
 
8. Do a charitable bargain sale. A little different, but here’s how it works. You sell appreciated stock or real estate to our organization for under market value and take a tax deduction for the difference. You get cash from the sale, lower your capital gains tax liability, and use the deduction to offset the tax on the gain.
 
9. Set up an endowed fund at  the Rolf Institute: Our organization and you write a letter of agreement creating your endowed fund. You get an immediate dollar-for dollar tax deduction when you fund it. The fund becomes a permanent resource producing income for our organization.
 
10. Call the Rolf Institute: Think of our organization as a resource for information on estate planning and planned giving. We will connect you with our community estate planner and their estate planning kit.  Above all, seek qualified independent financial and legal counsel.
 
For more information, contact:
Christina Howe, Executive Director, The Rolf Institute 
chowe@rolf.org