CGF: Bequests & Memoriam

For those who care deeply about our local environment, estate planning offers a unique opportunity to acknowledge a thoughtful life by helping future generations. Establishing a bequest can ensure your legacy and that of Committee for Green Foothills.

Why leave a legacy?

•	The work of Committee for Green Foothills is made possible by the generosity of people like you. Your gifts will ensure that we will be able to continue to protect the open space that is important to you.
•	Since 1962, we've been fighting and winning battles to protect the beauty of our local natural areas. Committee for Green Foothills will use your gift to continue to stave off development pressures and short-sighted planning so that our foothills, farmlands, streams, coastside and other local open space can be enjoyed for future generations.
•	Charitable gifts from your estate may have tax benefits for the beneficiaries of your estate that may offset the "cost" of making a legacy gift to the Committee for Green Foothills. This estate tax deduction is usually equal to the full fair market value of the bequest.
•	You'll feel good knowing that because of your foresight, the foothills, coastside and valleys of the Peninsula will remain beautiful and wild for future generations to enjoy.

How to make a planned gift to Committee for Green Foothills
There are several ways to make a contribution to Committee for Green Foothills after your lifetime. You can leave your legacy through a will, a living trust, an insurance policy, or an IRA or qualified retirement plan.

Through a will
Leaving a bequest in your will is a simple process.

Committee for Green Foothills can be named as the beneficiary of a set dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or specific assets. Your estate is entitled to an estate tax deduction for the full value of the donation.

If you wish, you may name Committee for Green Foothills as a contingent beneficiary of assets designated for loved ones in the event they do not survive you.

Our legal designation is:
   Green Foothills Foundation
       dba Committee for Green Foothills
   A California nonprofit corporation
   3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, California 94303
   Tax ID #: 94-6121854

Through a living trust
By including Committee for Green Foothills in your living trust you create the same powerful legacy as you would with a will. Living trusts are quickly gaining popularity as they can eliminate the need for a lengthy and expensive probate process.

Sample language for wills or living trusts
Whether you use a codicil (an addition to an existing will), or are having a will prepared for the first time, you can use these words to make a gift to Committee for Green Foothills:

"I give, devise and bequeath (choose one: ______ percent of my estate, _______ dollars, ______ percent of the residue of my estate, the residue of my estate) to the Green Foothills Foundation dba Committee for Green Foothills (Tax ID #94-6121854), a California nonprofit corporation, to be used in such a manner as the Board of Directors of the Committee for Green Foothills shall, in its discretion, determine."

However, if you have a specific purpose in mind, please contact us at 650-968-7243 so that we can assist you in planning a gift that meets both your interests and the goals of the Committee for Green Foothills.

It is wise to discuss with your attorney how best to structure your will to provide for loved ones and achieve your philanthropic objectives.

With life insurance policies
Committee for Green Foothills can be named as the sole or partial beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

Using your IRA or qualified retirement plan
Retirement plans are particularly attractive planned gift vehicles because if these funds were left to an individual, they could be subject to estate tax as well as income tax after distribution, greatly reducing the value of the retirement asset to an individual recipient. Both taxes are usually avoided when these assets are left to a charitable organization. Committee for Green Foothills can be named as the beneficiary (primary, secondary, portion or percentage) of an IRA or other qualified retirement account.

For more information
We would be pleased to provide further information on naming CGF as a beneficiary of your will, or about the Green Foothills Legacy Society.

Please contact us at 650-968-7243.

The Green Foothills
Legacy Society

When you include Committee for Green Foothills in your estate plans, you will be welcomed as a member of the Green Foothills Legacy Society.

This group was formed to recognize the outstanding group of friends whose long-term support will help CGF continue to protect our local, natural spaces long into the future.

Members of the Society will special recognition as testimony of your commitment to the protection of our foothills, Coastside and other local open space for future generations. In addition, each year CGF honors members at the Legacy Society luncheon, in our newsletter and on our website.

If you have included CGF in your plans, we hope that you will let us know. We would appreciate the opportunity to express our gratitude, and to welcome you into the Legacy Society. Of course, if you wish to be anonymous, we will respect your wishes.

For more information about the Foothills Legacy Society, please contact us at 650-968-7243.