Join the Legacy Circle!

Join the Legacy Circle! By Charmen Goehring

We were talking to an AAUW friend the other day about the Legacy Circle. She revealed to us that she thought one needed to have a healthy bank account to become a member. We thought that if she has this assumption, others might as well.

The answer is, no, you do not need to be well off to be a Legacy Circle member! A Legacy gift is not something you give during your lifetime — it is given by your estate. There are many ways to leave a gift, including making AAUW a beneficiary on an insurance policy or annuity (this is what Charmen has done), donating a set sum or a percentage of your estate, creating a charitable gift annuity, or even creating a COD account at your bank (you deposit money now, either one time, or several deposits, and it is payable to AAUW upon your death). Knowing that we are a part of helping secure the future of AAUW, an organization that we have contributed time and talents to for more than 30 years now, makes us feel proud.

The top three motivations that AAUW donors cite for making a planned gift are the importance of AAUW’s mission, the belief that AAUW makes a significant impact, and the ability to make a larger gift through an estate gift than is normally possible during the donor’s lifetime.

There is no minimum gift requirement to join the Legacy Circle, and the benefits are many. For example:

  • Planned gifts afford you flexibility to provide for your family and support AAUW.
  • Certain planned gifts may reduce estate or capital-gains taxes.
  • Planned gifts need not affect your cash flow during your lifetime.
  • Certain types of planned gifts allow you to support AAUW while also providing income for the rest of your life — or a fixed income for a loved one.
  • The joy of knowing that your legacy gift will sustain AAUW’s programs for years to come is the ultimate benefit!

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of planned giving, please contact Judy Horan and Charmen Goehring,  of the AAUW Legacy Circle Team (queenjah@pacbell.net and charminme@yahoo.com). You can also find more information on AAUW’s website: https://www.aauw.org/resources/member/support-aauw/leave-a-legacy/. We would be delighted to welcome you to the Legacy Circle — AAUW’s recognition society for our beloved visionaries who are committed to advancing equity for women and girls long into the future.