The Lasting Benefits of Planned Legacy Giving to the SPCA of Northern Nevada

At the SPCA of Northern Nevada (SPCA-NN), we’re on a mission to improve the lives of pets and people in northern Nevada. This includes providing compassionate care to pets in need, educating our community, and placing homeless pets with loving families. Our work is fueled by the generosity of pet lovers like you, and one of the most impactful ways to support our cause is through planned legacy giving. This guide will explore how your planned legacy gift can create a lasting impact for pets in northern Nevada, ensuring that your love for pets continues to make an impact for generations to come.

What is Planned Legacy Giving?

Planned legacy giving is an approach to philanthropy that allows you to make a meaningful impact on causes you care about, even after your lifetime. It’s one way to ensure that your values and passion for animal welfare continue to make an impact long into the future.

For SPCA-NN, planned legacy gifts represent a crucial source of long-term funding that helps us continue our mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming pets in need. This generosity allows us to plan for the future with confidence, knowing we’ll have the resources to save lives and provide compassionate care for years to come.

The Strategic Nature of Planned Legacy Giving

When you choose to support SPCA-NN through planned legacy giving, you’re making a strategic decision that aligns your love for pets with your financial and estate plans. It’s a thoughtful approach that allows you to make a significant contribution to support pets in need in your community while potentially enjoying financial benefits during your lifetime.

How Your Planned Legacy Giving Helps SPCA-NN

Ensuring Long-Term Financial Stability

Your planned legacy gifts offer SPCA-NN a dependable source of future funding, providing the financial stability we need to grow and thrive. This stability allows us to focus on our mission without the constant concern of fundraising, empowering us to invest in long-term, sustainable growth strategies. With your support, we can continue to innovate in animal care, expand our community education programs, and make a lasting impact on pets in need across northern Nevada.

Supporting Life-Saving Programs

At SPCA-NN, we have developed a range of innovative programs designed to address the most pressing needs we see in our region. Thanks to planned legacy giving, we can create and expand these vital programs, ensuring pets in need receive the compassionate care they deserve.

Some of our key programs include:

  • Affordable Spay/Neuter and Vaccine Clinics, which make pet care accessible and affordable, helping to reduce pet overpopulation and keep pets healthy.
  • Behavior Modification and Enrichment Programs, which use science-based approaches to help homeless pets build confidence, trust, and reduce stress, preparing them for success in their future loving homes.
  • Todd’s Medical Fund, a financial assistance program for pet owners who cannot afford essential veterinary services. Created through a generous bequest from a community member passionate about helping pets in need, it continues to change lives every day.
  • Foster Care Program, which is committed to providing a safe space for pets whose needs can’t be met at our adoption center.
  • Ringworm Academy, a state-of-the-art program that treats a contagious fungal infection in cats and kittens who are at-risk of euthenasia. 

Quality Health Care for Every Pet

Planned legacy giving allows us to ensure that every pet at our adoption center receives the high-quality medical care they deserve. From routine vaccinations and spay/neuter surgeries to more complex treatments, we make sure our pets leave our center healthy or well on their way to recovery. We also maintain strict training and cleaning protocols to keep our facility safe and sanitary, along with enriching activities to support the mental well-being of every animal in our care.

Community Education and Outreach

Your planned legacy gifts help us create a more compassionate community by investing in programs that promote responsible pet guardianship, such as our Summer Kids Camp, off-site humane education sessions, and or animal welfare advocacy in northern Nevada.

Leading the Way in Innovation

Planned legacy gifts empower us to explore and adopt new technologies and programs that improve animal care and improve operations. Your support helps SPCA-NN remain at the forefront of best practices in animal welfare, ensuring we can continue to lead the way in creating a better future for pets and their families.

Why Choose Planned Legacy Giving?

Take advantage of tax benefits

Planned legacy gifts to SPCA-NN can offer significant tax advantages, including:

  • Income tax deductions
  • Capital gains tax avoidance
  • Estate tax reduction

These benefits can help you maximize your giving while minimizing your tax burden.

Generate income

Some planned legacy giving vehicles, such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, can provide you with a steady stream of income during your lifetime while also supporting our mission.

Leave a Lasting Impact

By making a planned legacy gift to SPCA-NN, you create a long-lasting legacy of compassion for pets in need. Many of our planned legacy giving options allow you to stay involved with our work during your lifetime. You’ll receive updates on our programs and the impact of your future gift, allowing you to see firsthand how your legacy will continue to make an impact long into the future.

Types of Planned Legacy Gifts to SPCA-NN

Bequests

A bequest is perhaps the simplest form of planned legacy giving. It’s a gift made through your will or trust that takes effect after your lifetime. You can specify a fixed amount, a percentage of your estate, like real estate, or specific assets to be given to SPCA-NN.

Example: “I give and bequeath to the SPCA of Northern Nevada, a nonprofit organization located in Reno, Nevada, the sum of $50,000 (or 10% of my residuary estate) to be used for its general purposes.”

Retirement Plan Assets

Naming SPCA-NN as a beneficiary of your retirement plan assets, such as IRAs or 401(k)s, can be a tax-efficient way to support pets in need in your community. You can also directly send us your mandatory IRA distributions and avoid the income taxes on that amount.

Example: Tom designates SPCA-NN as the beneficiary of his IRA. This allows the full value of the account to benefit our programs, avoiding potential income taxes that would be due if left to individual heirs.

Life Insurance Policies

You can name SPCA-NN as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or annuity, or transfer ownership of a paid-up policy to us during your lifetime.

Example: Sarah names SPCA-NN as the beneficiary of her $250,000 life insurance policy, ensuring a significant future gift to support our work.

How to Make a Planned Legacy Gift to SPCA-NN

Contact Our Donations Support Team

Our dedicated team is here to help you explore planned legacy giving options that align with your goals and values. We can provide detailed information about our programs and the impact your gift will have on our mission.

Consult with Your Advisors

We recommend consulting with your financial advisor, attorney, or tax professional to determine the best planned legacy giving strategy for your individual circumstances. They can help you understand the financial implications and benefits of different giving options.

Choose Your Giving Method

Select the planned legacy giving method that best suits your needs and goals. Whether it’s a simple bequest in your will or a more complex charitable trust, we’re here to help you through the process and ensure your gift aligns with your wishes.

Document Your Intent

Once you’ve decided on your planned legacy gift, make sure to properly document your intentions in your will, trust, or other estate planning documents. This ensures that your wishes are carried out and your legacy of compassion for animals is secured.

Leave a Lasting Legacy for Pets in Need

A planned legacy gift to SPCA-NN is a powerful way to create a lasting impact for pets in need across northern Nevada. By including SPCA-NN in your estate plans, you’re providing a beacon of hope for countless pets who will benefit from your support long into the future.

Whether you’ve been a dedicated supporter for years or are just beginning to explore ways to make an impact, we invite you to consider how a planned legacy gift can help create a brighter future for pets in our community. Together, we can build a northern Nevada where every pet has the opportunity to thrive.

Ready to learn more?

Contact our development team today to discover how you can create a legacy of love for animals. We’re here to help you make a lasting impact and save lives through planned legacy giving.

SPCA of Northern Nevada FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Not at all! Planned legacy giving is for everyone who wants to make a lasting impact, regardless of their current financial status. Every gift, no matter the size, makes a meaningful impact on pets in need.

Yes! Whether you wish to support our general operations, fund a specific program, or create a new initiative, we’re here to work with you to ensure your gift aligns with your wishes and our mission. However, unrestricted gifts provide us with the most flexibility, allowing us to direct funds where they’re needed most at any given time.

We offer various ways to recognize planned legacy giving donors, including membership in our Legacy Society. However, we also respect the wishes of donors who prefer to remain anonymous.

Yes, you can add SPCA-NN to an existing will through a simple document called a codicil. Your attorney can help you with this process.

We encourage you to discuss your love for pets and your philanthropic goals with your family. Consider bringing them to visit our adoption center for a tour or involving them in learning about our life-saving programs.

For more information on planned legacy giving, please contact Sean Farnan, Development Director, via email at sean@spcanevada.org or (775) 324-7773 x 204.