Rock Island State Park

By remembering Friends of Wisconsin State Parks (FWSP) in your will or trust, you are helping ensure that our parks will endure for future generations. FWSP has been fortunate that our donors are exceptionally forward-thinking, community-minded individuals. Through making a gift to FWSP through your will or trust, you join the ranks of many notable Wisconsin philanthropists and innovators. Many donors find that planned giving allows them to remain fully in control of their assets while ensuring that their legacy will endure after their lifetime and affect the type of positive change important to their values. If you already have a planned gift for Friends of Wisconsin State Parks in place, please inform us. You also may complete a Letter of Intent form and return it to Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.

Planned Giving – Creating your Wisconsin Parks Legacy

You can help to ensure a vibrant future for Wisconsin’s Parks. Planned gifts are a creative way to support FWSP that, through careful financial and estate planning, benefit you, your loved ones and FWSP. These gifts offer ways to make a lasting gift while planning your financial security and may provide special tax advantages for you. Above all, you will have the satisfaction of helping to sustain the natural treasures that are Wisconsin’s parks.

Ways of Giving

Planned gifts can be made through a bequest in your will, a living trust agreement, life insurance, a retirement plan, or real estate and other property. By designating FWSP as a beneficiary in your will, you can leave a lasting legacy for the park and receive acknowledgment for it today through membership in the FWSP Legacy Society. Charitable bequests may be made in the form of currency, securities, or other property, and may be a specific dollar amount or a percentage of a donor’s entire estate. Sample Bequest:
“I hereby give $____ (or a percentage of my estate) to Friends of Wisconsin State Parks, a Wisconsin non-profit corporation.”Retirement Plans and IRAs

Here’s a simple way to avoid income tax and potential estate tax on your retirement plan, while making a significant gift to FWSP:

• Name Friends of Wisconsin State Parks as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other qualified retirement plan.
• Pass the balance of your retirement assets to FWSP by contacting your plan administrator.
• Notify FWSP about your gift. Your plan administrator is not obligated to notify us.

Life Insurance Gifts You may contribute a paid-up life insurance policy you own but no longer need, or a new policy listing FWSP as owner and beneficiary. Ongoing premium payments for policies owned by FWSP are considered tax-deductible contributions

.Life Income Gifts A life income gift provides income for the donor and/or a loved one, with the remainder benefiting FWSP. Depending upon the plan, the income may be fixed or variable and can continue for one or more lifetimes, a term of years, or a combination of the two. Examples of life income gifts are charitable gift annuities or charitable remainder trusts. There are variations on planned gifts that can be tailored for your specific financial and family situations. As you consider your giving options, we strongly encourage you to consult with your financial and legal advisors on the tax-wise advantages of various plans. The information presented here is not intended as financial and legal advice. We can assist you in creating charitable gift plans that meet your needs and clearly state your intentions.

If you are considering a planned gift and would like more information, please contact The Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.