DCHS has been helping people help animals for 100 years with the support of generous donors like you. Including DCHS in your will or other legacy planning will help us save animals, support our community, and care for wildlife for the next 100 years.

Legacy gifts can qualify for significant tax deductions. Creating your planned gift can be a relatively smooth and straightforward process, and we're happy to assist you. If you have already included DCHS in your plans, please let us know so we can thank you! Our EIN is 39-0806335.

We hope you will consider joining DCHS’s Legacy Society. Membership is as simple as naming DCHS as the beneficiary of your will, trust, insurance policy, donor advised fund, or financial account. Your membership includes a subscription to Family Tails, regular updates, and invitations to special events.

For more information, please contact Amy Good, (608) 838-0413 ext. 129 or agood@giveshelter.org.

Creating a More Humane Tomorrow

Free Tool to Create your Legacy!

To make it easier to create your legacy, DCHS has partnered with FreeWill to give you a simple way to write your legally valid will in 20 minutes or less. FreeWill lets you consider your loved ones and pets while ensuring DCHS continues to be a place of refuge for animals for another 100 years — and it costs nothing to give today!

Get Started on Your Plans

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Wills and Trusts (bequests)

The most straightforward legacy giving option is to make a bequest in your will. In its simplest form, a will is a legal declaration by you naming one or more persons to manage all of your assets (your 'estate') and provides for the distribution of those assets at death. A will is essential to ensure that your property is distributed according to your wishes.

Bequests made through your will may take various forms:

  • Specific Bequest: Directs a specific dollar gift or property to pass to DCHS.
  • Percentage Bequest: Designates a percentage of the total value of the estate as a gift to DCHS.
  • Residual Bequest: Directs that DCHS receive the remainder of the estate, or a portion of the remainder, after all expenses and other bequests have been made.

A bequest to DCHS is not subject to federal or estate taxes, and there's no limit on the amount of the deduction. Most importantly, your bequest to DCHS will help ensure the organization's ability to provide care and protection for animals in future years.

Make a plan for your pets while giving back!

To make it easier to create your legacy, DCHS has partnered with FreeWill to give you a simple way to write your legally valid will in 20 minutes or less. FreeWill lets you consider your loved ones and pets while ensuring DCHS continues to be a place of refuge for animals for another 100 years — and it costs nothing to give today!

This tool is completely free to use, so get started on your plans today!

For large estates, blended families, or other more complex situations, please work with appropriate legal counsel.

Bequest provision language:

A bequest provision to make a gift to DCHS in a will may be made using the following language:

I give, devise, and bequeath to Dane County Humane Society, a non-profit corporation located at 5132 Voges Road, Madison, Wisconsin, 53718, EIN 39-0806335,

______ percent of my estate (or the sum of $ ___; or ___ percent of the residue of my estate) as an unrestricted gift.

Beneficiary designations for other assets

IRAs, retirement plans, life insurance policies, and bank accounts allow you to name a beneficiary on those accounts. Naming DCHS as a beneficiary allows assets to pass directly to the shelter. You’ll decide what percentage (from 1% to 100%) you would like the shelter to receive. We can be a primary or contingent beneficiary and are grateful for any percentage you choose.

These additional assets are not covered in a standard will or trust. If you have an IRA, 401(k), life insurance policy, or any additional financial accounts, these are called “non-probate assets” and they need to be planned for separately. Using this online tool, you can log all of your assets, decide who will be the beneficiary, and receive printable instructions on how to set each one up with your broker.

Plan your beneficiaries today.

Charitable Gift Annuities

Other Planned Giving Options