By Amy Allen
Since 1977, Austin Community Foundation has partnered with generous individuals passionate about giving back to their community. Many of these donors have taken the extraordinary step of including ACF in their estate plans to support their favorite causes today and beyond their lifetime. In recognition of their vision, I’m excited to announce the Foundation’s new Legacy Society.
The Legacy Society acknowledges the generosity of donors who have committed to our community through the lasting impact of a planned gift. These gifts can take many forms, including bequests, life insurance policies, charitable gift annuities, and charitable trusts. The most common form of planned giving is through a bequest, which involves leaving a specific amount or percentage of one’s estate to one or multiple nonprofit organizations, as stated in a will or trust. Some donors have also entrusted ACF with an unrestricted gift so the Foundation can meet the community’s most critical and evolving needs over time.
We’ve had many generous donors include ACF in their estate plans long before we created the Legacy Society. In fact, ACF was created with a legacy gift from Fannie Gray Leo. On her death in 1975, she left 5% of her estate toward the establishment of Austin Community Foundation.
In my 31-year tenure with ACF, I’ve had the honor to get to know and support many of our legacy donors in their philanthropic journey, such as Jean Lee, who donated her house to ACF to support the needs of our community. Georgia Lucas created a donor advised fund to support local nonprofits in perpetuity based on her interest areas. Theresa Massey made an unrestricted bequest in her will to ACF to respond to the evolving needs of Central Texas.
Each donor has their own story, and ACF is honored to steward their charitable gift long beyond their lifetime in support of what mattered most to them.
If you are interested in creating a legacy that reflects your values and passions, please contact us to learn more. We can explain the various options and guide you through the process of establishing your gift. We can also work with your professional advisor(s) to create the most efficient and impactful plan for you and your loved ones.
Amy Allen is our Senior Philanthropic Officer and specializes in planned giving.