Support Local Scouting with a Bequest to Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America
Serving youth and their families in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina since 1911.
Give the Gift of Scouting
An excellent way for you to support the mission of Scouting is to leave us a bequest in your will, living trust, or with a codicil.
One significant benefit of making a gift by bequest is that it allows you to continue to use the property you will leave to charity during your life. Another benefit is that you can leave a lasting legacy.
Benefits of a Bequest
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 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 heirs.
Types of Bequests
There are several ways you can make a bequest to Tidewater Council BSA.
Specific Bequest. A specific bequest is a gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car, other property, or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to Tidewater Council BSA.
Percentage Bequest. This category of bequest is leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to Tidewater Council BSA.
Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to Tidewater Council BSA.
Contingent Bequest. Contingent bequests are made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, that vacation home will go to Tidewater Council BSA.
Sample Bequest Language
In order to make a bequest, you should speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America in your estate plan. We have provided some basic bequest language to assist you and your attorney.
“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath $ ___ and no/100 dollars to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6675, Federal Tax ID# 54-0505875, for Tidewater Council BSA’s general use and purpose.”
“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6675, Federal Tax ID# 54-0505875, for Tidewater Council BSA’s general use and purpose.”
“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath all of the rights, title, and interest in and to the real estate located at ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6675, Federal Tax ID# 54-0505875, for Tidewater Council BSA’s general use and purpose.”
“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath ___ percent (__%) of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6675, Federal Tax ID# 54-0505875 for Tidewater Council BSA’s general use and purpose.”
“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6675, Federal Tax ID# 54-0505875, ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to be used for Tidewater Council BSA’s general use and purpose.”
“If (primary beneficiary) does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise, and bequeath to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6675, Federal Tax ID #54-0505875, DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to be used for Tidewater Council BSA’s general use and purpose.”
Restricted Bequests
If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure that it will be used for a specific purpose, please let us know.
We would be happy to work with you and your attorney to help you identify ways to give and meet your charitable objectives. We can collaborate with you and your attorney to craft language to accomplish your goals.
If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that your attorney include the following provision to give Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America flexibility should it no longer be possible for Tidewater Council BSA to use your gift as you had originally intended:
“If, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America, it shall become impossible for Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, Tidewater Council BSA may use the income and principal of this gift for such purpose or purposes as the Board determines is most closely related to the restricted purpose of my bequest.”
Contact Us
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about how to make a bequest to Tidewater Council Boy Scouts of America.
We are happy to provide any additional information that might be helpful to you and your attorney as you consider making a bequest to us.
If you have already included a bequest for Tidewater Council BSA in your estate plan, please let us know. We want to thank and recognize you for your gift.
