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Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s Bequest Language

An excellent way for you to support the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s mission is to leave us a gift via a bequest in your will, living trust or by using a simple codicil which can be attached to an existing will or trust. One significant benefit of making a gift by bequest is that it allows you to continue to own and use the property that you plan to leave to the garden. Another benefit is that you are able to leave a lasting legacy to be enjoyed by future generations.

Types of Bequests

There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc. through the Dallas Arboretum Foundation.

The Foundation was established in 2017 as a way to ensure the continued excellence in and care of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The Dallas Arboretum Foundation is an endowment organization with the sole purpose of supporting the garden and its needs in perpetuity. The Foundation is dedicated to securing the financial health of the garden for decades to come.

You can make a:

Specific Bequest. A specific bequest involves making a gift of a particular asset such as stocks, bonds, other property or a gift of a specific dollar amount. For exampleyou may wish to leave $10,000 to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation.

Percentage Bequest. Another kind of bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation.

Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the remaining balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests, and set aside funds for any potential taxes due. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to a favorite charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation.

Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as stocks and bonds, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the stocks and bonds will go to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation.

Bequest Benefits

A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time. You can choose to designate that a bequest be used for a general or specific purpose so you have the peace of mind knowing that your gift will be used as intended. Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your family and heirs. As with any important financial decision, we encourage you to seek the advice of a trusted financial advisor so that they can verify the current tax law and how it applies to you.

Bequest Language

In order to make a bequest, we recommend that you speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation in your estate plan. We have provided some basic bequest language to assist you in ensuring your gift request is properly recorded.

1. Specific Bequest

If you are considering making an outright bequest to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc., we recommend the following language:

Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount

I hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 8617 Garland Road, Dallas, TX, 75218, Federal Tax ID #82-2625052, for the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s general use and purpose.

Bequest of Specific Personal Property

I hereby give, devise and bequeath {DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY} to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 8617 Garland Road, Dallas, TX, 75218, Federal Tax ID #82-2625052, for the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s general use and purpose.

2. Percentage Bequest

If you are considering making a bequest of a percentage of your estate to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc., we recommend the following language:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath ____ % of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 8617 Garland Road, Dallas, TX, 75218, Federal Tax ID #82-2625052, for the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s general use and purpose.

3. Residual Bequest

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 8617 Garland Road, Dallas, TX, 75218, Federal Tax ID # 82-2625052, ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the residue and remainder of my estate to be used for the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s general use and purpose.

4. Contingent Bequest

If {primary beneficiary} does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 8617 Garland Road, Dallas, TX, 75218, Federal Tax ID # 82-2625052, {DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY} to be used for Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc.'s general use and purpose.

Restricted Bequests

If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure that your bequest will be used for a specific purpose, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your trusted adviser to help you identify ways to give and meet your charitable objectives. We will also work with you and your attorney to craft language that will accomplish your goals.

If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that you include the following provision to give the Dallas Arboretum Foundation needed flexibility should it no longer be possible for the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc. to use your gift as you originally intended:

If, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, it shall become impossible for the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc. to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, the Dallas Arboretum Foundation may use the income and principal of this gift for such purpose or purposes as the Foundation Board determines is most closely related to the restricted purpose of my bequest.

Contact Us

Please contact us if you have any questions about how to make a bequest to support the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc. or to request any additional information that might be helpful to you and your adviser as you consider making this generous gift to us.

If you have included a bequest for the Dallas Arboretum Foundation in your estate plan, please contact us to let us know. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.