Estate Planning and Support of VNA
Gifts that benefit VNA through your estate planning can be very modest or larger than one could make during a lifetime. These gifts combined in an endowed fund in the VNA Foundation can, over a period of years, dramatically increase VNA's ability to provide care. 

Planned Gifts to VNA and Charitable Care
The growing demand for charitable care is increasingly exceeding the funds VNA has available. Gifts to the VNA Foundation through bequests and other deferred plans are invested in a managed fund unless otherwise designated by you, the donor, for immediate use. The managed fund's earnings generate funds year after year, decade after decade, to supplement funds raised on an annual basis, so that VNA will be able to provide home healthcare to a greater number of people in need of our services.

Deferred gifts of all types and amounts are an important source of support for VNA. Such gifts provide needed funds to enable VNA to provide services to the sick, hungry, disabled and dying people who depend upon us for quality healthcare services.

For your guidance, and that of your legal and financial advisors, please note the following:

For the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation (VNA), the sole agent authorized to receive private gifts from estates is the "The Visiting Nurse Association Foundation of Texas" (legal title). Please use this title (Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation) when naming VNA as a beneficiary of a deferred, planned gift or a bequest.

Tax/employer Identification Number: The Visiting Nurse Association Foundation of Texas: 75-1633963

 

Below is the language for a bequest to VNA

Outright Bequest

"I give, devise and bequeath to Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation, the sum of ____________ dollars (and/or the following described property ____________) to be used... (e.g., for its general purposes, to establish an endowed fund, or for a specific program or purpose decided upon in advance in consultation with a qualified VNA representative)."

Bequest of Residuary Estate

"All the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate, both real and personal property of whatever kind and wheresoever situated, which I may own or have the right to dispose of at the time of my death including any lapsed devises and bequests, I give, devise, and bequeath to Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation, to be used for..."

Bequest of Percent of Residuary Estate

"All the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate, both real and personal property of whatever kind and wheresoever situated, which I may own or have the right to dispose of at the time of my death including any lapsed devises and bequests, I give, devise, and bequeath as follows: (1) To Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation, __________ percent, to be used for..."

Contingent Bequest

"In the case of the failure or lapse of any legacy or devise herein such that the property so bequeathed or devised would otherwise pass by intestacy (absence of a will), I give, devise and bequeath any such failed or lapsed legacy or devise to Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation, to be used for..."

Creating Life Income Gifts In Your Will

It is possible to create in your will certain gift/investment arrangements, which provide income for a dependent or friend before VNA would benefit. These documents are too lengthy to include here, but please ask us for a sample charitable gift annuity agreement or charitable remainder trust agreement if you or your attorney would care to have them.

 

A final suggestion: No one can anticipate the changes and developments that may occur at VNA in the future. In order to ensure that your bequest will always be of maximum use to VNA, we ask that you consider including a "saving clause" in your will. Such a clause might read as follows:

"If at any time, at the discretion of the Board of Directors of Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation, this bequest shall no longer be necessary for the stated purpose, the Directors shall have the authority to designate its use for another purpose that closely carries out my original intention."

Other Information

Visiting Nurse Association of Texas Foundation is a qualifying IRS 501 (c) (3) charitable non-profit organization and its taxpayer identification number is: 75-1633963. Please call Anne Leary, Vice President, Development at (214) 689-2602 for information and to discuss bequests or life income gifts.

For a free copy of the VNA Planning Your Will guide, email Anne Leary at learya@vnatexas.org.

Trust Gifts

A Charitable Remainder Trust provides the donor with the benefit of an immediate charitable tax deduction and an annual income that is based on an IRS Discount Rate and the age(s) of the beneficiary of the income. The benefits include:

• Improved income for the donor and/or other named beneficiaries
• Current income tax savings from a charitable deduction
• Avoidance of up-front capital gains taxes if funded with appreciated assets otherwise to be sold.

(Benefits are subject to current tax laws.)

There are two basic forms of Charitable Remainder Trusts:

1. The Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT) must pay income at a fixed amount per year, expressed either in dollars or as a percentage of the value of the initial funding assets.
2. The Charitable Remainder Unit Trust (CRUT) is variable, expressed as a percentage of the annually predetermined value of trust assets, with potential either for growth or decline in dollar payment.

Age is often a factor in choosing between the two basic forms of charitable remainder trusts with older donors often preferring the security of a fixed income, while younger donors often favor the growth potential of a unitrust to offset inflation.

Consult your Financial Advisor, Tax Attorney, or Certified Financial Planner about whether a Charitable Remainder Trust is an appropriate vehicle for you and your family.