For more information, please contact Betsy Conway, Major Gifts and Planned Giving Director, at (402) 930-4168 or bconway@vnaomaha.org.
Cash Gift : A direct way to support patient care services.
Memorial Gift : A meaningful way to honor the life of a friend, family member or colleague is to designate memorial donations directly to VNA. Patients or family members can publish their desire for VNA to be the recipient of memorial gifts in funeral notices and obituaries.
Honor Gift : Recognize someone's achievement or a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or retirement by making a contribution in his or her honor. We will notify the honoree of your thoughtful gift. You can make an Honor Gift today by simply downloading the donation form and mailing it to VNA.
Matching Gift : Many employers will match your donation, thereby doubling your gift. Matching gift forms may be available from your employer's human resources department.
Charitable Gifts/Trusts : A variety of options are available in assigning money or property through your estate planning to be designated now or at a later time. These are excellent planning tools available to structure wonderful gifts that help you and/or your designee and VNA.
Gifts of Stock : These can provide tax benefits to the donor and help a charitable organization. Please notify VNA if you plan to make this type of gift so that our staff can provide delivery instructions and an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes.
Life Insurance : You may consider donating an insurance policy with a cash surrender value that you no longer require for its original purpose. You may also name VNA Foundation as the beneficiary for your employer-provided group life insurance policy.
A bequest is part of a will that allows people to make a donation to a non-profit agency after they pass away. The gift may be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of the estate, or an asset such as stocks or real estate. A bequest of any amount can make a big difference in improving the lives of others. A valid, up-to-date will is the only way to ensure your wishes will be met after your death. In cases where a will does not exist, the government distributes personal property according to state laws.
An accountant, lawyer or other advisor can help you through the will and bequest planning process, making sure your beneficiaries and favorite charities get the highest percentage possible of your estate to help minimize the amount given to taxes.
Most financial and estate planning experts recommend that you review your will every three years or whenever a major life event occurs such as a marriage or birth of a child. Changes can be made easily at any time with a codicil or addition.
Guidelines for Making a Bequest
When legislators passed LB28, they gave Nebraskans a wonderful opportunity to help non-profit organization build a better future for everyone. Now, planned gifts from individuals and outright corporate gifts to The Visiting Nurse Foundation endowment fund can qualify for an immediate state tax credit for up to $5,000 per year!
What is a “planned gift?” It’s simply a commitment to donate at some future time, usually upon death of the giver. Essentially, LB28 allows individuals to take a tax credit today for a donation they won’t make for many years.
There are a variety of ways to structure your planned gift to the Visiting Nurse Foundation.
Under LB28, the following options for individuals qualify for a tax credit of 15% of the present value of the gift: Charitable Remainder Unitrusts; Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts; Charitable Lead Trusts; Charitable Gift Annuities; Charitable Life Estate Agreements; Deferred Gift Annuities; Pooled Income Funds; Paid-up Life Insurance Policies.
For corporations, an outright fit to the Visiting Nurse Foundation endowment funds qualifies for a tax credit equal to 10% of the value, up to the same $5,000 per year.
For more information on how your gift can help support Visiting Nurse Association, please contact Betsy Conway, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, at (402) 930-4168 or bconway@vnaomaha.org.
You always hear about the importance of estate planning. It is stressed that individuals create a will or trust that gives direction about how you want to handle your financial affairs after your death. But equally important is a Living Will, which deals with your health care decisions and takes effect while you are still living.
A Living Will (also known as an Advanced Health Care Directive) is a document that tells your doctor or other medical staff about your wishes for life-sustaining treatment, including artificially administered nutrition and hydration, when you are in a terminal condition or in a persistent vegetative state. For example, if medical treatment would only prolong your death, you may specify that treatment be halted.
Talk with your family and your physician about your wishes. Complete the forms according to the directions. The living will signing process is not difficult and does not require an attorney. It is important to sign the directive in the presence of two witnesses who are not related to you by blood, marriage or adoption, or by a notary public. A living will must be properly signed in order to be legal and valid. Living Wills are used only when you cannot make treatment decisions yourself. Otherwise, your physician or medical staff will ask whether you wish to accept or refuse any treatments or procedures. Living Wills may take effect if you are in a terminal state that is likely to cause death or if you are in a persistent vegetative state or coma.
It is a good idea to keep a copy of your Living Will handy; healthcare facilities and offices may ask for a copy each time you are admitted. It is also a good idea to give a copy to your family doctor and to people close to you such as family members or friends.
For more information on Living Wills/Advanced Directives, log on to the Nebraska Department of Health & Humans Services website, www.hhs.state.ne.us.
