Gifts That Cost You Nothing Now
Your Legacy Could Change Lives and Communities
Do you want to make an impact on Catholic faith communities in the most remote regions of our country, but don’t think that you have the money to make a gift? There are many options that will not affect your current lifestyle or your family’s security. By including Catholic Extension Society in your will or trust, or by beneficiary designation, you are able to make a tremendous impact for years to come.
Share Your Legacy
Please let us know if you have included a gift for Catholic Extension Society in your will or trust, or by beneficiary designation. Providing us with documentation is the best way to ensure that your gift is used in the way you intend.
Gifts in a Will
Making a legacy gift in your will or trust is one of the easiest and most popular ways to make a lasting impact for Catholic Extension Society. By simply signing your name, you can create a legacy for future generations of Catholics.
Once you have provided for your loved ones, we hope you will consider making our important work part of your life story through a legacy gift.
A gift in your will is one of the easiest ways to create your legacy and offers the following benefits:
NO COST
Costs you nothing now to give in this way.
FLEXIBLE
You can alter your gift or change your mind at any time and for any reason.
LASTING IMPACT
Your gift will create your legacy of strengthening Catholic faith communities.
Four simple, “no-cost-now” ways to give in your will
General gift
Leaves a gift of a stated sum of money to Catholic Extension Society in your will or living trust.
Residual gift
Leaves what is left over after all other debts, taxes, and other expenses have been paid.
Specific gift
Leaves a specific dollar amount, percentage, fraction, or specific items (collections, art, books, jewelry, etc.).
Contingent gift
Leaves a stated amount or share only if a spouse, family member or other heir/beneficiary does not live longer than you. In other words, your gift is contingent upon whether or not they survive after you.
You can mix these no-cost ways together. For example, you might consider leaving a specific percentage (such as 50%) of the residual to Catholic Extension contingent upon the survival of your spouse.
Create Your Will for Free
You can create your will for free using this trusted estate planning tool from our partner, FreeWill — it’s secure, easy to use, and most people complete their plans in 20 minutes or less. As you make your will, you will have the opportunity to include a legacy gift to sustain the mission of Catholic Extension Society for generations to come.
Gifts by Beneficiary Designation
It’s easy to put your bank accounts, retirement funds, savings bonds, and more to use in transforming lives and communities — and it costs you nothing now.
By naming Catholic Extension Society as a beneficiary of these assets, you can power our mission for years to come and establish your personal legacy of strengthening the Catholic Church in America.
Potential benefits of gifts by beneficiary designation:
Reduce or eliminate taxes
Reduce or avoid probate fees
No cost to you now to give
Create your legacy with Catholic Extension Society
To name Catholic Extension Society as a beneficiary of an asset, contact the custodian of that asset to see whether a change of beneficiary form must be completed.
How to change a beneficiary designation:
Login to your account or request a Change of Beneficiary Form from your custodian (the business holding your money or assets).
Follow the links to change your beneficiary or fill out the form.
Be sure to spell the name of our organization properly: The Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States of America
Include our tax identification number: 36-6000520
Save or submit your information online or return your Change of Beneficiary Form.
Types of Gifts
A gift of retirement funds
You can simply name Catholic Extension Society as a beneficiary of your retirement plan to help us develop leaders, build churches, strengthen ministries, reach out to the poor and vulnerable, educate seminarians, and engage youth.
A gift of funds remaining in your bank accounts, brokerage accounts or certificate of deposit (CD)
This is one of the easiest gifts to give and one of the most useful in accomplishing your philanthropic goals. The next time you visit your bank, you can name Catholic Extension Society (Tax ID: 36-6000520) as the beneficiary of a checking or savings bank account, a certificate of deposit (CD), or a brokerage account. When you do, you’ll take a powerful step toward strengthening Catholic faith communities for generations to come.
Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) residuals
What remains in a donor-advised fund is governed by the contract you completed when you created your fund. When you name Catholic Extension Society as a “successor” of your account or a portion of your account value, you enable us to transform lives and communities.
Savings bonds
If you have bonds that have stopped earning interest and you plan to redeem them, you might owe income tax on the appreciation. That could result in your heirs receiving only a fraction of the value of the bonds in which you invested. Since Catholic Extension Society is a tax-exempt institution, naming us as a beneficiary means that 100% of your gift will go toward building communities of faith.