Legacy giving

Charitable bequests

Charitable bequests allow individuals to provide to a charitable organization by naming the organization as a beneficiary in their estate plan. Making a charitable bequest offers tax benefits to the donor while supporting HALO’s mission. There are several types of charitable bequests that you can make in your will or trust, each of which simply requires adding a sentence to your will or trust. While we recommend speaking with an attorney when creating your estate plan, below we have included sample language to guide you in making a charitable bequest.

Specific Gifts

Specific gifts allow you to gift a certain dollar amount or percentage of your estate to HALO. 

Specific Gift Sample Language: “I give, devise, and bequeath [Insert dollar or percentage of estate desired] to HALO Trust USA Inc., a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 52-2158152), currently located at 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 206, Washington, DC 20036, or its successor in interest, to be used for its general purposes."

Residual Gifts

Residual gifts are made from the remainder of your estate after all other desired gifts are made.

Residual Gift Sample Language: "I give, devise, and bequeath [Insert dollar or percentage of estate desired] of the residue of my estate to HALO Trust USA Inc., a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 52-2158152), currently located at 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 206, Washington, DC 20036, or its successor in interest, to be used for its general purposes."

Contingent Gifts

Contingent gifts are made only if all other designated beneficiaries in your will or trust are unable to accept the gift, usually in cases where the named beneficiary predeceases you.

Contingent Gift Sample Language: “In the event that there is no distributee for any part of the estate, that part shall be distributed to HALO Trust USA Inc., a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 52-2158152), currently located at 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 206, Washington, DC 20036, or its successor in interest, to be used for its general purposes."

Charitable gift annuities (“CGAs”) are a great way to make a significant legacy donation for individuals who are at least 65 years of age and want to receive a fixed income during retirement.

CGAs allow individuals to make an irrevocable contribution to a charitable organization in exchange for a fixed income from that contribution. CGAs also offer a variety of tax benefits.

If you would like to set up a CGA with HALO, please contact Diana Tatili (diana.tatili@halousa.org).

Another option to make a legacy gift is to make The HALO Trust (USA) a beneficiary on one of your assets. By naming HALO as a beneficiary on one of your assets, you can ensure that those assets pass directly to the organization at your passing.

Some assets to consider making a beneficiary designation for include bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement assets, life insurance policies, donor advised funds, and commercial annuities.

To make a beneficiary designation, follow these steps:

1. Contact your institution or your plan or asset administrator and request a change of beneficiary form.
2. Designate The HALO Trust (USA), Inc. as a beneficiary.
3. Indicate what percentage of the asset you would like HALO to receive.
4. Return the form to your institution or administrator.