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Winona, MN November 2011 – The Winona chapter of the national LEAVE A LEGACY® program announces the results of its third annual survey on legacy giving. The survey was conducted among the non-profit and estate and financial planning partners involved the LEAVE A LEGACY ® Winona effort.

Of the 29 LEAVE A LEGACY® Winona nonprofit partners surveyed, 8 reported a total of 12 estate gifts received during 2010, totaling over $640,000. These generous gifts ranged from $4,100 to over $215,000. In addition, the surveyed partners collectively reported 20 new legacy members/donors who have informed them that their organization has been named as a beneficiary in their will or estate plans as of 2010.

Of the 11 LEAVE A LEGACY® Winona estate and financial planning professionals surveyed, 4 reported discussions with more than 32 clients regarding bequests to charities. These professionals reported that more than $495,000 was distributed from their client estates directly to local LEAVE A LEGACY ® Winona non-profit program partners in 2010. Additionally, they reported that over $330,000 was distributed to other non-profits in and out of Winona County.

“Winona has a long and rich tradition of philanthropy that is very much alive and well today. Winonans are continuing the tradition of giving back to their community that started with many of our early leaders and has always been a strong part of our history. Many of these people have familiar names but most are unsung citizens who have given out of a deep love of community;” said LEAVE A LEGACY® board member Mark Peterson.

LEAVE A LEGACY® Winona is a non-soliciting collaborative effort among non-profit organizations and estate and financial planning professionals of the greater Winona area working to educate our community and promote gifts to charities through wills and estate plans. The program encourages people of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels to make gifts to the non-profit organizations. Learn more at our new website; www.lalwinona.org.

The program is made up of community based organizations including human service agencies, churches, educational institutions, hospitals, arts organizations, and professional advisors such as attorneys, accountants, financial planners, insurance agents and banks. The LEAVE A LEGACY® initiative originated in Columbus, Ohio in 1994 and is continuing to unite more than 120 communities throughout the U.S. and Canada to promote awareness of the importance of remembering charities and special causes in a will or estate plan.


If you are a partner and would like to submit photos to be published on the site, contact Mandi Householder at (507)453-5113 or mhouseholder@cotterschools.org.

If you are a prospective LAL partner and would like to join LAL Winona, contact Sara Brandon at smbrandon@merchantsbank.com.

If you are hoping to leave a legacy in Winona, look for FIND AN ADVISOR PARTNER link on the top navigation bar or FIND A NON-PROFIT PARNTER.

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And during life’s struggles, we are often reminded that more must be done to continue positive, humane acts of kindness, and to sustain programs for personal enrichment. We wish more funding were available for medical research, for domestic abuse shelters, or a treasured arts or music program.

Charitable organizations need financial assistance from people like you to continue their work. More than 80 percent of Americans contribute to the nonprofit groups of their choice throughout their lifetimes. But according to research conducted in 2000, only around eight percent of people chose to continue this support through a charitable bequest.

By making bequests and other “planned gifts,” you can continue to help organizations that are making an important difference in your community.

What better way to thank the people or organizations that have had an impact on your life, than to make a contribution from your estate through a bequest?

Gifts large and small are important. Charitable giving is not only for the wealthy!

I have children and relatives. Shouldn’t I leave my entire estate to them?

This is perhaps the number one cause for reluctance when making a bequest. The truth is that, depending on the current tax laws, leaving a gift to charity in your will may reduce the estate tax burden on your heirs significantly. You should consult with a financial advisor or attorney to learn how giving may actually benefit your family after you’re gone.

Charitable Statistics: An Untapped Well of Good

• There are more than 260 million Americans, of whom approximately two million die each year.
• In 1996, 79,346 estate tax forms were filed with the federal government. (At the time, these forms were required for estates in excess of $600,000.) Eighteen percent of the forms listed a charitable gift.
• In other words, 82 percent of the nation’s wealthiest individuals left nothing to charity.
• In addition, the IRS tells us that charity is getting a decreasing share of the money in these wealthy estates, from 21.8 percent in 1976 to 6.3 percent in 1992.
• According to a 2004 Associated Press news story, only 42 percent of adults have wills, a five percent drop since 2000.

If only 20 percent of Americans left a charitable bequest, the current number of charitable bequests would more than double. Imagine what the impact to charitable organizations would be if the 80 percent of Americans who give during their lifetimes also made a charitable gift through their estate plans!