Each spring the grays of winter are replaced with a wide palette of vibrant colors, many of which come from flowers. Early spring sees the emergence of daffodils followed by tulips. As the days lengthen and temperatures rise, those early spring flowers might be replaced by varieties such as impatiens and petunias.

You may be asking yourself what these plants that add so much beauty to our world have in common with philanthropy. The answer lies in their roots. Tulips and daffodils are perennial plants, which means their root bulbs stay in the ground and produce new flowers each year for several years. Impatiens and petunias, on the other hand, are annual plants. A new seed must be planted each year to produce these plants.

Many of our donors make annual gifts to support our work. We use the annual gifts to fulfill our charitable mission—but once these gifts are spent, new gifts must be given next year to replace them. In that way, annual gifts are like the annual plants: they must be planted anew each year.

In addition to giving annually, some people make a larger contribution through a component of their assets and estate plans. These planned gifts will be used for the purposes designated by the donors after their lifetimes. These gifts tend to be larger than annual gifts, providing a significant impact to support our mission, and they generally come from our donors’ wills and trusts and IRAs (or other retirement plans).

Planned gifts are like perennial plants whose bulbs remain in the ground, producing beautiful flowers when the conditions are right.

Two primary benefits of planned, or deferred, gifts are that they cost you nothing now and they are easy to set up. Depending on the type of gift you choose, you may also be eligible for tax benefits in the year the gift is made.

Should you have an interest in planting a planned gift that will support our work for many years to come, we would be honored to prepare a plan personalized to your specific circumstances.