Legacy & Planned Giving

Please consider extending your love of learning with a bequest to the Sawyer Free Library. Including the Sawyer Free Library in your will or living trust costs nothing today and you can adjust your plans if your needs change. You can specify a gift of a particular amount, a percentage of your estate, or a specific asset. Simply contact your financial advisor about your decision and provide a letter of intent to the library. Click here for a sample Letter of Intent you can use.

You can help inspire our community of future learners and leaders and reduce income and estate taxes for your heirs. Name the Sawyer Free Library as a beneficiary of your retirement accounts, life insurance policies, annuities, and other financial accounts.

Retirement Accounts: Designate the SFL as a sole or partial beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement plans.This gift is simple because there is no need to modify your will or living trust. All you need to do is complete a beneficiary designation form with your plan administrator.

Life Insurance: Name the SFL as a beneficiary of a new or existing life insurance policy.You can also use a life insurance policy to make a gift to SFL. It’s usually as simple as completing a form with the insurance company designating SFL as the beneficiary of all or a portion of the death benefit of your life insurance policy.

Annuities and Other Financial Accounts: Designate the SFL as a beneficiary of your annuities and other financial accounts.

This planned giving option allows you to make a gift to future book lovers and learners without it counting as taxable income. If you are 70½ years old or older, you can make a tax-free gift directly from your IRA to the Sawyer Free Library. This Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution and provide significant tax benefits.

Donating appreciated securities, such as stocks and bonds, can be a tax-efficient way to support SFL. You can avoid paying capital gains taxes and may be eligible for a charitable deduction for the fair market value of the donated securities. Make a gift of publicly-traded securities to SFL and potentially save income tax and capital gains tax, too.

You can recommend grants to the Sawyer Free Library from your donor-advised fund. This flexible option allows you to support the Sawyer Free Library and power imaginations over time and involve your family in charitable giving.

A gift of real estate can be a powerful way to support the Sawyer Free Library and the many programs and services we provide for our community. Whether it is a personal residence, vacation home, commercial property, or undeveloped land, donating real estate can provide significant tax benefits and help us continue our mission.

How to Get Started

Making a planned gift is easier than you might think. Here’s how you can get started:

• Consult Your Advisors: Speak with your financial, legal, or tax advisors to determine the best planned giving options for you.
• Inform Us of Your Plans: If you have already included the Sawyer Free Library in your estate plans, please let us know. We would love to thank you and welcome you.
• Contact Us: Contact Christine Armstrong at the Sawyer Free Library for more information on ways to give that can help the library for years to come and benefit you and your family. Christine Armstrong
  Sawyer Free Library Development Director
  carmstrong2007@gmail.com
  (646) 644-5037‬