The Case For Becoming a Legacy In Your Profession
The College's mission is "To serve society as the preeminent source of knowledge for foot and ankle surgery, and to advance the competency of our members and the care of our patients." Every ACFAS program today relates to this mission, but with so many pressing member needs, sorely needed scientific, outcomes and evidence-based research is all too often deferred. Foreign and domestic medical missions would educate other medical professionals on our unique qualifications. And there are projects we can't even envision today that will require a dedicated funding source in the years ahead. The Legacy Society and Fund will solve this problem for generations of future surgeons.
The ACFAS Legacy Society
The Legacy Society honors individuals who have made an investment in the future of the College's mission. These individuals have made a decision to support a special fund for long-term research and other initiatives through planned giving. The Society is an elite corps of surgeons who will become legacies to their profession now and after their death.
The ACFAS Legacy Fund
The Legacy Fund is a segregated, designated net asset of the ACFAS, separate from the College's annual operating revenues and budget. Your gift to the Legacy Fund will never be "spent." Only the earning from the principal (the "corpus") will be used to fund research, scholarships, or new initiatives we can't even envision today. Therefore, your gift will be working in perpetuity, as will recognition of your gift in ACFAS publications and on the ACFAS Web site. Your gift is full tax-deductible to the extent of the law since you receive no direct benefit from the gift.
How to Become a Member of the ACFAS Legacy Society
In recent years, bequests and other deferred gifts have become easy-to-use vehicles for making larger than usual gifts to support non-profit, IRS Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, such as the College. Most often these gifts have been unrestricted, allowing the gifts to be used to support initiatives to be determined in the future. However, if you wish to restrict your gift to a specific use, please contact ACFAS to discuss your wishes.
Individuals who notify ACFAS that they have provided for a future gift to ACFAS in any of the following ways will be recognized by name (or may remain anonymous) as a member of the ACFAS Legacy Society:
Bequest - Through a will or living trust, you may contribute to ACFAS Legacy Fund a specific dollar amount, a particular asset, or some portion of the residue of your estate after you have provided for your family or other beneficiaries;
Life Insurance - By naming the ACFAS Legacy Fund as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy you may be able to provide a larger charitable gift than you would otherwise feel capable of making.
Retirement Assets - You may provide for a future gift to the Legacy Fund by leaving all or a portion of your remaining retirement assets by naming the ACFAS Legacy Fund as a beneficiary of your retirement plan(s). This includes IRAs, 401(k)s, and pension plans.
To make sure that our records accurately reflect your intentions, we ask that you complete and return the gift information form for the ACFAS Legacy Society. You may choose to have your name listed on the roster of Legacy Society members, or you may choose to be an anonymous member.
If you need more information about making a gift to support ACFAS through estate planning, do not hesitate to contact us.
Benefits of Membership
The ACFAS Legacy Society is a way for ACFAS to thank and recognize donors, during their lifetime, for providing future gifts. It means that ACFAS will not have to learn of a person's generosity only when a gift is received from their estate.
While recognition and thanks are among the most important benefits of membership, we know that many people prefer to keep their future gifts confidential. We will respect the wishes of donors who desire to be anonymous.
ACFAS Legacy Society benefits include:
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You will be personally recognized by name and in perpetuity in ACFAS publications and on the ACFAS Web site (unless you choose to be recognized anonymously).
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A Legacy Society certificate and pin.
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Your name engraved in a roster of legacies displayed in the College's national headquarters.
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Invitation to a special reception in the President's Suite at the ACFAS Annual Scientific Conference.
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And additional benefits that will evolve as the Society grows.