The Haliaeetus Planned Giving Society honors those who have included HawkWatch International in their estate plans. A charitable estate gift is a commitment to be proud of. Benefits of being a society member include invitations to special events and name recognition in HWI publications.

Haliaeetus is the taxonomic category, or genus, of fish-eating Eagles including the Bald Eagle. The Bald Eagle symbolizes those of lofty spirit, ingenuity, noble nature, and strength. Individuals who make arrangements to remember HawkWatch International in their estate planning become members of the Haliaeetus Society and help ensure HawkWatch International embodies these traits for years to come. Gifts can be made by a bequest, in a will, or living trust, as well as in a variety of ways that provide tax benefits and income for life to the donor. Supporters can remember HawkWatch International in any of the ways listed below.

Planned giving options:
•    Bequest
•    Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designation
•    Life Insurance Gift
•    Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT)
•    Charitable Lead Trust (CLT)
•    Real Estate Gift

Please be aware that the information presented here is general in nature. You should contact your professional tax or legal advisor for specific information for structuring a gift.

Bequest
One of the simplest ways to make a gift to HawkWatch International (HWI) is through your will or living trust. You can name HawkWatch International the direct beneficiary of specific assets, or a portion of your estate, or of your residual estate after payment of other bequests. Bequests to HWI are entirely free from federal estate tax and can, therefore, offer substantial estate tax savings. There is no limit on the amount you can leave to HWI through your will.

If you wish to include HWI in your will or living trust, please use the following language after stating the nature of the gift:
“HawkWatch International, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Utah, with a current address of 2240 South 900 East Salt Lake City, UT 84106 and a federal tax identification number of 85-0358519.”

Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designation
You can name the Fund as a partial or total beneficiary of your Individual Retirement Account (IRA), pension plan, employer retirement plan, Keogh plan, 401(k), 403(b) or other qualified pension plan. This type of gift to HawkWatch International is distributed outside of probate and is entirely free of both federal estate tax and income tax. There is no limit on the amount you can leave to HWI through a retirement plan beneficiary designation.

Life Insurance Gifts
There are several ways you can remember HawkWatch International through your life insurance policies. You can name HawkWatch International as a beneficiary of a new or existing policy. You can assign HWI as the owner of a no longer needed paid-up or partially paid policy. You may also take out a new policy with HWI as the owner.

Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT)
With the typical charitable remainder trust, long-term appreciated securities or real estate are donated to a trust for the ultimate benefit of HawkWatch International. The transfer of assets is irrevocable and the income you receive can be for your life or the lives of your beneficiaries or for a set number of years (maximum of 20). Income is payable to you as the donor or your beneficiaries, either in fixed or variable amounts depending upon the form of the trust. HWI will receive the “remainder” of assets upon termination of the trust. You will receive a charitable deduction and avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation in securities.

Charitable Lead Trust
With the typical charitable lead trust, donors transfer assets into the trust for the life or lives of individuals or for a term of years with HawkWatch International named as the income beneficiary. During the term of the trust, HWI received income payments at an agreed upon rate of interest. At the end of the term of the trust, the assets are transferred back to the donor or to other individuals, typically a family member such as grandchildren. Generally, the gift of interest to HWI qualifies for a charitable income tax deduction.

Real Estate Gifts
Donations of real estate may be done through a bequest in a will or living trust. There is also a gift of remainder interest in a personal residence (Life Estate Remainder). With this gift, the donor irrevocably transfers ownership of a personal residence to HawkWatch International, retaining the right to live in or otherwise use property during the donor's lifetime. This gift creates an income tax deduction, immediately, for the present value of the calculated remainder gift to charity. The tax deduction can be carried forward to future years if necessary. This type of gift allows the donor to take the personal residence out of their taxable estate while still residing in it.

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Bald Eagle Photograph Copyright Jerry Liguori.