Planned Giving

Christ Kotsos Story of Legacy and Hope

Christ loved animals. After retiring from car sales, he became involved with Lake Humane Society. Christ became a regular event attendee, and always looked forward to Black Cat Ball. In the years that followed, he adopted two dogs from LHS, Williams and Grady, who brought such joy to his life.

Before Christ passed, he knew he wanted to leave something meaningful behind. After talking to staff at LHS, he included Lake Humane Society in his will. Christ wished to help homeless animals long into the future – a legacy we are honored to fulfill.

A legacy gift will keep on giving compassionate care, protection and second chances to homeless animals, while leading a humane Lake County.

What will your legacy be?

Planned giving is a powerful way to help Lake Humane Society and can provide you with immediate or future tax benefits. Including a charitable gift in your estate plan ensures that lifesaving programs for animals and people will continue for years to come. A planned gift ensures the values you hold dear live on within future generations. To discuss your legacy with us, please fill out our Planned Giving Interest Form.

Planned Giving Interest Form

Several planned giving opportunities are described below. Please consult your attorney or estate planner to discuss what options are best for you.

Bequests

Including Lake Humane Society as a beneficiary in your will is an excellent method by which you can provide your support. The bequest can be unrestricted, in which case Lake Humane Society can utilize the funds where they are needed most, or restricted, which allows you to determine how the gift is to be used.

Trusts

Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Lead Trusts are two vehicles through which you and Lake Humane Society both receive benefits on an ongoing basis. In a Charitable Remainder Trust, annual income is provided to you, and as a beneficiary of the trust Lake Humane Society receives the gift upon the passing of those indicated in the trust.

In a Charitable Lead Trust, Lake Humane Society, as a beneficiary of the trust, receives distributions from the trust for a predetermined number of years, and at the end of the time period the remainder of the trust is then distributed to Lake Humane Society and any other beneficiaries indicated in the trust document.

Stocks

Stocks may be transferred directly to Lake Humane Society or you may give stock certificates. In either case, you will receive a tax deduction for the full value of the stock on the day in which the stock is given, and, if the stock has appreciated in value from when you purchased it, you will avoid paying capital gains taxes due if you were to sell the stock.

Life Insurance

A life insurance policy is an excellent way to provide you with a tax deduction and ultimately gift a significant amount to Lake Humane Society. By naming Lake Humane Society the owner of the policy, the policy will qualify as a charitable gift. If the policy is paid in full, the cost basis or the replacement value of the policy, whichever is less, is usually your tax deduction for the year. If, however, you are continuing to pay premiums, the amount of the premiums you pay qualify as your charitable tax deduction.

Your Legacy, Their Hope.

We would love to help you create a legacy of love.