A Small Gift in Your Will Can Outlast Everything Else You Give
Why a bequest of any size belongs in your will
By Courtney Edgcomb, President & CEO, Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties
Most people assume legacy giving is for someone else — the family with the big estate, the retired executive, the person whose name ends up on a building. I hear it all the time: “I’d love to leave something to the community, but I’m not that kind of donor.”
Here’s what I want every reader to know this Make-A-Will Month: you already are.
Legacy giving isn’t about the size of the gift
A bequest in your will doesn’t require a fortune. It requires a decision. Some of the most meaningful gifts CF/UWVFC has ever received were a specific dollar amount, a small percentage of an estate, or “whatever remains” after family is taken care of. None of those donors thought of themselves as major philanthropists. They thought of themselves as people who loved Volusia and Flagler Counties and wanted that love to outlast them.
That’s the real definition of a legacy gift: not the number, but the intention behind it.
Three ways to leave a gift, in plain language
- A specific gift — a set dollar amount or a particular asset (a portion of savings, a piece of property, a life insurance policy)
- A percentage gift — a share of your estate, so your gift scales with what you leave behind rather than locking in a fixed number today
- A residual gift — what’s left after you’ve provided for the people in your life first
None of these require you to give anything away while you’re alive. None of them change your day-to-day finances. They simply state your wishes for later.
Why now, why a will
You don’t need a complex estate plan to include a legacy gift — you need a will, and a will is now easier to create than most people realize. Through our partnership with FreeWill, you can build a legally valid will in about 20 minutes, from home, at no cost, and name CF/UWVFC as a beneficiary in the same process where you name your family. It’s not a separate step. It’s one line in a document you should have anyway.
Getting started
- Visit FreeWill
- Walk through the guided questions about your family and assets
- When you reach beneficiaries, consider including a gift to the causes you care about
- Download, sign according to your state’s requirements, and you’re done
The gift that keeps working after you’re gone
For 85 years, this community foundation has turned generosity into lasting solutions for Volusia and Flagler families. Every legacy gift, no matter the size, becomes part of that work — long after the person who gave it is gone. If you’ve ever wondered how to make sure the causes you love are still being cared for in 20 or 50 years, this is how.
You don’t have to be a major donor to leave a major impact. You just have to write it down.
Ready to include a legacy gift in your will?
For more information, contact Christina Patterson, Vice President of Development, at [email protected] or 386-451-6809.
