Charitable bequests are gifts made through your will or living trust to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy. A bequest can be a wonderful opportunity to support the work of MLC in your estate plan and is easy with the instructions provided below.

Download the Following Instructions for Bequests in PDF Format

Information on Bequesting Gifts – Estate Planning

A bequest is a simple way to help protect the Lighthouses and Life-Saving Stations you love.

Donors choose a bequest because:

It is not payable until death, so it does not affect your assets or cash flow during your lifetime.
It is revocable – you can change the provisions in your will or trust at any time, and
It is private – your will is not filed or made public until your death.

Let us know if you have chosen to leave a bequest to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy via e-mail or mail please.

Is a bequest deductible?

A bequest from a will or a trust distribution to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy is fully deductible for federal estate tax purposes, and there is no limit on the deduction your estate can claim. In addition, the gift is usually exempt from state inheritance taxes.

What is the difference between a will and a trust?

A will is your instruction manual to survivors about how you want your property distributed. It is a revocable, private document that only takes effect after your death.

A revocable trust is an entity that holds assets during your lifetime, then transfers ownership of them — or benefit from them — upon your death.

There is no difference between wills and trusts in how they make charitable transfers. In some states the probate and distribution process is simpler with a revocable trust. Your advisors can guide you in choosing which vehicle will work better for you.

Interested in naming the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy as a beneficiary of your will or trust? Find the legal language and tax ID information below.

What if I’ve already written my will or trust?

You can amend a will or trust to make a gift without rewriting the entire document. Your attorney can prepare a simple document, called a codicil, which adds a new bequest to us while reaffirming the other terms of your will. Similarly, an attorney can prepare an amendment to a revocable trust to add the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy as a beneficiary.

Let us know your plans! If you have placed the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy in your estate plans we would like to thank you.

Bequesting A Gift Information

Here are some examples of how you can leave real estate or vacant property with the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy to help support our mission.

Legal Designation:

If you wish to name the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy in your will or estate plan, we should be named as: Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of Michigan, with principal business address of PO Box 973, Fenton, MI. 48430.

Tax ID:

Our tax identification number is: 38-2569827

Date of Incorporation:

October 3, 2000

At the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, all unrestricted charitable gifts are used strategically to support top mission priorities. If you have a more specific purpose in mind, please contact us at: (810) 750-9236 to ensure that we can meet your wishes. Whether you choose to restrict a gift or not, your support will help us achieve our preservation and educational goals for future generations to enjoy.

Additional Sample Language for Gifts of Real Estate

Donating Real Estate Through Your Will or Trust

If you own property that you would like to donate to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy through your will or trust, the following language, which you should share with your attorney, can be used:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of Michigan, and with current business address of PO Box 973, Fenton, MI. 48430, tax identification number 38-2569827, all of that certain piece, parcel or lot of land owned by me and situated and being in the Town of _______ and more particularly described as follows: [full legal description of property]
I understand that the above-mentioned real estate may not be in the best interest of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancies preservation and educational mission. If it does not qualify, I hereby give my permission for it to be sold at the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancies sole discretion and the proceeds used as the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancies Board of Directors deems appropriate to further the purposes of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy.

Note: At the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, all unrestricted charitable gifts are used strategically to support top mission priorities. If you have a more specific purpose in mind, please contact us at (810) 750-9236 to ensure that we can meet your wishes. Whether you choose to restrict a gift or not, your support will help us achieve our preservation and educational goals for future generations.

Donating Land Through Your Will or Trust

If you would like to donate land to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy through your estate, we encourage you to consider giving us the flexibility to accept the property without restrictions. When we receive the property, we will evaluate it and determine if it meets our preservation and educational mission priorities. If it does not, we will sell the land and use the proceeds for our priority preservation and educational work. If this is not satisfactory, then you may want to leave your property to us with a provision that, if we are unable to hold onto it, it will go to another non-profit organization with different priorities and criteria than ours for protection; for example, a local land trust.

The following language, which you should share with your attorney, can be used to devise property to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy:

I understand that the above-mentioned property may not be in the best interest of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancies preservation and educational mission. If it does not qualify, I hereby give my permission for it to be sold at the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancies sole discretion and the proceeds used as the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancies Board of Directors deems appropriate to further the purposes of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy.

I understand that at the time of my death, property shall be inspected to determine whether it provides habitat for any rare, endangered or threatened species and whether it has any natural features or characteristics that should be protected. I understand that Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy will endeavor to provide for appropriate protection for the property or any portions of the property that then contain any such species or natural characteristics and features. This may include selling the property with conservation restrictions or finding another non-profit organization with different priorities and criteria than ours for protection; for example, a local land trust.

EITHER:
If at the time of my death, the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy determines that it cannot use the property, then the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy may sell the property unrestricted.

OR:
If at the time of my death, the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy determines that it cannot hold onto the property, then I leave the property to ___________ [local land trust or other conservation organization] if it agrees to hold onto it. If that organization will not hold onto it, then ___________ [decide whether you then wish to leave it unrestricted to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, or to name a third organization as beneficiary].

Contact Us

Need more information about gift planning with the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy? Call or write:

Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy
Attn: Beneficiary Chairman
PO Box 973
Fenton, MI 48430, USA
(810) 750-9236

The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy is a nationally recognized IRS registered 501(c)3 non profit Corporation incorporated in the State of Michigan.

Charitable Bequests