Photos: L and bottom R Glenn Barrett, top R Tom Thomas
Leaving a bequest with the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club will establish your natural legacy by protecting nature in perpetuity.
“I have been a member of HNC for close to 10 years and an admirer of their conservation efforts for many years before that. Their prudence in the management of limited resources combined with many dedicated volunteers working to permanently protect nature, make the club a perfect place to put my donations to work effectively.” Bob Crockford
Making a bequest as part of your will is a relatively simple matter. As a form of giving, charitable bequests provide flexibility and can be modified or updated at any time during your lifetime.
Bequests can also be made in memory of loved ones, which provides a meaningful way to create a memorial that lives on in service to others.
Click here to request a copy of the HNC’s Bequest Brochure.
For information on leaving other types of green legacies (securities, insurance, etc.) click here.
- Blanding’s Turtle, Photo Tom Thomas
TYPES OF BEQUESTS
A charitable bequest is simply a distribution of assets from your estate to a charitable organization through your last will and testament. To help you with this process, we have provided some suggested language you might use in drafting your will.
Following are some of the more common types of bequests and suggested language to use in a will. In any charitable bequest, be sure to name the recipient accurately.
General Bequests – are legacies left to charitable causes like the HNC that come from the estate, and are made by designating a fixed dollar amount, a particular asset or a fixed percentage of your estate to support the organization.
We recommend that you carefully review the terms of any legal document with a professional.
General Bequest Language:
“I hereby give and bequeath to the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club of Hamilton, Ontario, the amount of $_______ (or description of the specific asset), for the benefit of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and its general purposes.”
Sensitive Fern, Photo Glenn Barrett
Residuary Bequests – are made when you intend to leave the residual portion of your estate after other terms of the will have been satisfied.
Residuary Bequest Language:
“All the rest, and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, are to be given to the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club of Hamilton, Ontario, for its general purposes.”
Hooded Warbler, Photo Tom Thomas
Specific Bequests - are made when a gift is bequeathed for a designated purpose that supports one of the HNC’s programs. This could include acquiring and stewarding land, researching natural areas, protecting endangered species, etc.
Specific Bequest Language:
“I hereby give and bequeath to the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club of Hamilton, Ontario, the amount of $_______ (or description of the specific asset), for the benefit of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club to be used for the following purpose: (state the purpose). If at the time in the judgment of the Board of Directors of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, it is impossible or impractical to carry out exactly the designated purpose, they shall determine an alternative purpose as close to the designated purpose as possible.”
Please contact Jen Baker at the HNC at 905-524-3339 or land@hamiltonnature.org to request a brochure and to discuss the program that best meets your interests.
