Did You Know You Can Name a Favorite Charity as a Beneficiary?
No matter what type of life insurance policy you have, you have an option to give some of your death benefit to a charity including Humane Society Naples. There are a few ways you can ensure some of your policy proceeds support an institution you care about:
- List the charitable organization as your beneficiary.
- Add a charitable giving rider to your life insurance policy.
- Put your policy in a trust.
- Donate a permanent life insurance policy to the institution.
The best option for you depends on your overall estate plan. For most people, naming the charity as a beneficiary is the simplest option.
Naming a charity as a life insurance beneficiary is simple: Write in the charity name and contact information when you choose or change your beneficiaries. You can name multiple beneficiaries and specify what percentage of the death benefit should go to each. So you can give 100% of your benefit to charity, 80% to your family and 20% to charity, or any other combination.
There’s no federal tax benefit or state tax benefit for naming a charity as your life insurance beneficiary, and you can’t write off your premium payments as a tax deduction. You can only claim a charitable deduction if a charity owns your policy and you pay the premiums.
But the benefit of naming HSN or other favorite charities as beneficiaries is knowing that you will keep their mission alive. At HSN, beneficiary gifts impact the lives of literally thousands of innocent animals looking for a second chance at the kind of life every pet deserves.
Always check with your financial advisors before making any major charitable donation. And we’re here to help as well with any questions you may have. Thank you for your compassion for the animals!
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Kim Hanson
Senior Philanthropy Officer
Humane Society Naples
(239) 438-4624
kim.hanson@hsnaples.org
Kim Hanson joined HSN’s Community Affairs team as Senior Philanthropy Officer last July. With more than 40 years in the nonprofit development field, Kim had served for the past 7 years as the Major & Planned Giving Officer for Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in Palm Beach County. She posts a monthly blog on our HSN website about ways of saving the precious lives entrusted to us through a variety of charitable giving vehicles.
