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Gifts That Cost You Nothing Now
A gift in your will helps ensure lifelong care for children at Whatcom Center for Early Learning—without costing anything today.
Gifts in a Will
Making a legacy gift in your will or trust is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to support Whatcom Center for Early Learning. With just a signature, you can help ensure that children with developmental delays and disabilities receive the care and support they need to thrive.
After providing for your loved ones, we hope you’ll consider making children’s growth and wellbeing part of your life story through a legacy gift to WCEL.
A gift in your will is one of the easiest ways to create your legacy and offers the following benefits:
No Cost
Costs you nothing now to give in this way.
Lasting Impact
Make a long-term investment in the essential early learning services you believe in.
Flexible
You can alter your gift or change your mind at any time and for any reason.
Four simple, “no cost now” ways to give in your will:
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Leaves a gift of a stated sum of money to WCEL in your will or living trust.
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Leaves what is left over after all other debts, taxes, and other expenses have been paid.
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Leaves a specific dollar amount, percentage, fraction, or specific items (collections, art, books, jewelry, etc.).
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Leaves a stated amount or share only if a spouse, family member or other heir/beneficiary does not live longer than you. In other words, your gift is contingent upon whether or not they survive after you.
You can mix these no-cost ways together. For example, you might consider leaving a specific percentage (such as 50%) of the residual to WCEL contingent upon the survival of your spouse.
Gifts by Beneficiary Designation
It’s easy to support children with developmental delays and disabilities—without costing anything now.
By naming WCEL as a beneficiary of your bank accounts, retirement funds, or other assets, you help sustain our mission and create a legacy of hope for the families who need it most.
Potential benefits of gifts by beneficiary designation:
Reduce or eliminate taxes
No cost to you now to give
Reduce or avoid probate fees
Create your legacy with WCEL
To name WCEL as a beneficiary of an account or asset, contact the business holding your account or asset to see whether a change of beneficiary form must be completed.
How to Change a Beneficiary Designation:
Login to your account or request a Change of Beneficiary Form from your custodian (the business holding your money or assets).
Follow the links to change your beneficiary or fill out the form.
Use our full organization’s name: Whatcom Center for Early Learning
Include our tax identification number: 91-1526226
Save or submit your information online or return your Change of Beneficiary Form to your custodian
Types of Gifts
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You can simply name WCEL as a beneficiary of your retirement plan. This will allow you to leave any retirement funds you don’t ultimately need to help give kids the childhood they deserve.
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This is one of the easiest gifts to give and one of the most useful in accomplishing your philanthropic goals. The next time you visit your bank, you can name Seattle Children’s Foundation (Tax ID: 91-1156519) as the beneficiary of a checking or savings bank account, a certificate of deposit (CD), or a brokerage account. When you do, you’ll take a powerful step toward curing conditions affecting children for generations to come.
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When you establish a donor-advised fund, you decide which charity or charities will receive any amount that remains after your lifetime. When you name WCEL as a “successor” of your account or a choose WCEL to receive portion of your account value, you enable life-saving cures and compassionate care for kids.
Find out more about Donor-Advised Funds here.
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If you have bonds that have stopped earning interest and you plan to redeem them, you might owe income tax on the increase in value. That could result in you or your heirs receiving only a fraction of the value of the bonds in which you invested. Since WCEL is a tax-exempt institution, naming us as a beneficiary means that 100 percent of your gift will go toward providing support to kids in your community.
Our Team is Here to Help!
Have questions or ready to get started? Fill out the form below and a member from our team will contact you.
The content found on this site is general in nature and intended to be used for informational purposes only. It should not be relied upon as legal, tax, accounting or other professional advice. To determine how a gift or estate planning decision might affect your particular circumstances, it is expressly recommended that you consult an attorney, financial advisor or other qualified professional.