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Leave a Legacy
There are two principal ways to leave a legacy through WGA.
- Lifetime Membership (now or posthumously)
- Estate Planning (establish your intent to contribute to WGA beyond your lifetime through planned gifts such as bequests of cash, IRAs, equities, life insurance, and/or real estate that name WGA as the beneficiary)
These two approaches can be used independently or combined; both provide for the future of women and girls in northeast Florida. Our partner, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (TCF), is here to help you and your advisors with the details. If you don’t already have a preferred contact at TCF, you or your advisor can contact Wanda Willis, Vice President of Civic Leadership, TCF, at at 904.356.4483 or WWillis@jaxcf.org to get linked up to the resources that are most appropriate for your situation and preferences.
Lifetime Membership: Creating a Legacy for Women & Girls
By joining WGA as a Legacy Member, your gift becomes part of WGA’s endowment fund. Today, more than 80 women in WGA have become Legacy Members.
Legacy members make a one-time gift of $25,000 or more (payable over one to five years), and may use a variety of assets to do so (including cash, appreciated stock, IRA rollovers, etc). They then become WGA members for life; sometimes, this is accomplished posthumously.
Once you are a Legacy Member, WGA makes a gift in your name to the grantmaking pool every year, including in perpetuity after you are deceased.
Legacy members need not make any future annual gifts to WGA, but they retain the full benefits of membership for as long as they live, and their endowed investment ensures that WGA’s philanthropic work will continue for women and girls in northeast Florida for generations to come.
If you would like to join the women who are already WGA Legacy Members, please contact your preferred contact at TCF; alternatively, you or your advisor can contact Wanda Willis, Vice President of Civic Leadership, TCF, at at 904.356.4483 or WWillis@jaxcf.org to get linked up to the resources that are most appropriate for your situation and preferences.
"Women and girls are at the heart of WGA’s mission and mine. I chose to become a Legacy Member because I have been blessed to observe the integrity of its leaders and the thoughtfulness of its giving. How could I not?"
Crystal Freed, Legacy Member
Estate Planning (Planned Giving)
If you prefer – or in addition to Lifetime Membership – you may make a planned gift or give to WGA posthumously by way of a bequest. “It is important to realize that WGA, like any charity, can be named as beneficiary of a life insurance policy, annuity or IRA.
Many members and friends opt to include WGA in their estate plans. You can specify that your gift be added to WGA’s endowment, or that it be spent over a set period of time. Gifts can be targeted to the grant pool, to special projects, or to the area of highest need.
Whether your gift is in the form of a will, IRA, life insurance policy, charitable gift annuity, real estate or charitable remainder trust, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida is available to work with your professional advisors to assist you. Making a bequest to WGA is a wonderful way to ensure the work of improving the lives of women and girls will continue through the generations.
To get started, please contact your preferred contact at The Community Foundation; alternatively, you or your advisor can contact Wanda Willis, Vice President of Civic Leadership, TCF, at 904.356.4483 or WWillis@jaxcf.org to get linked up to the resources that are most appropriate for your situation and preferences.
In Her Own Words
Ann Sims made many gifts to the Women’s Giving Alliance in her lifetime in addition to her membership. But her most significant gift may have been the one WGA received after her death in 2015. Ann named WGA as a beneficiary of her IRA. Part of her bequest was a gift directly to WGA’s endowment fund. The other portion paid Ann’s Legacy Membership, thus making her a member of WGA in perpetuity.
– Ann Sims (deceased), Legacy Member and Bequeather to WGA
“Having been a member of The Women’s Giving Alliance since its second year and having observed how carefully and thoughtfully our money is used to benefit women and girls in Jacksonville, I wanted to establish a planned gift with The Community Foundation to perpetuate WGA’s mission here.”
– Nancy Overton, Legacy Member
“Over the years, I have combined my love of sport with fund-raising for charitable organizations that benefit the lives of women and children. Now, in my mid-seventies, I am realistic about aging. When I updated my end-of-life documents, I was pleased to provide a specific bequest to WGA. It gives me a sense of peace to know that WGA will continue to serve women and girls of Northeast Florida.”
– Cherry Gallagher, WGA Member