PLANNED GIVING

Creating a Lasting Legacy

Since the founding of Doylestown Hospital in 1923 by the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown, planned gifts have been instrumental in our sustained success and continued growth. We are grateful to the hundreds of planned giving donors who have helped us to provide the highest quality of healthcare throughout our history, as well as to the current members of our Cornerstone Society for their future contributions.

By adding Doylestown Health to your estate plan through a variety of flexible, tax-advantaged options, you will be able to continue to benefit from your assets now, knowing that your legacy gift will strengthen the health of our community for generations to come. These gifts can take a variety of forms, including some of the more popular and effective gift planning vehicles listed below. Your gift to Doylestown Health can support the area of greatest need, or be designated for a specific service line or program that is important to you. Our office is staffed with experienced gift planners who can help you and your financial advisers achieve your charitable goals.

To learn more about planned giving opportunities, or to notify us that you have already included Doylestown Health in your estate plans, please contact Garrett Owen, Director of Development, at 215.345.2802 or gowen@dh.org. Thank you!

VIEW THE PLANNED GIVING BROCHURE

The Cornerstone Society

Doylestown Health Foundation’s Cornerstone Society honors donors who have generously provided a legacy of care by naming Doylestown Health in their estate plans. Whether through a bequest, trust, life-income gift, donation of real estate, or other form of planned giving, these special donors are helping to provide exceptional healthcare for our community for generations to come.

ABOUT THE CORNERSTONE SOCIETY

Bequests

Adding a charitable bequest to your will is a simple and meaningful way to leave a legacy without impacting your current cash flow, lifestyle, or the security of your family. Bequests allow you to distribute assets according to your wishes and lets you designate any amount to Doylestown Health free of estate tax. You can gift cash or specific property, or a percentage of your estate.

There are several common types of bequests:

A specific bequest directs a dollar amount or particular assets such as securities, real estate, or property to Doylestown Health.
A percentage bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to Doylestown Health.
A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after all other specific bequests are already met, and all debt and other obligations are paid.

Suggested Bequest Language for a Will or Trust

To assist you and your attorney with adding Doylestown Health to your estate plan, here is some suggested language for a specific or percentage bequest (non-real estate) for a will or trust:

“I give and bequeath to Doylestown Health Foundation, located in Doylestown, PA, (Federal Tax ID #23-2368196) the sum of $ _________ [OR ______ % of my estate] to be used for its general purposes [OR for the purpose of (naming a specific fund or program):________________].”

Here is suggested language for a residual bequest for a will or trust:

“I give and bequeath to Doylestown Health Foundation, located in Doylestown, PA, (Federal Tax ID #23-2368196) ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for its general purposes (or for the purpose of a specific fund or program named here).”

Once you have named Doylestown Health Foundation in your estate plans, please contact Garrett Owen, Director of Development, at gowen@dh.org or 215.345.2802 so that we may recognize you as a member of our Cornerstone Society. Thank you!

The Liesers’ Story

Driven by their gratitude for exceptional care, Bill and Mary Lee Lieser’s decision to include Doylestown Health in their estate plans will benefit patients well into the future. Like so many of our donors, their generosity is the cornerstone of our success.

Life Income Gifts

Life income gifts are smart and logical options for many donors because they allow you to make a substantial gift to Doylestown Health while also providing you or your loved ones with new income. If you fund the gift with highly appreciated assets, such as stock or real estate, you reduce and defer capital gains, receive an income tax deduction, and potentially generate more income than you would otherwise from the assets in your possession.

Life income gifts can be structured in different ways to meet your financial and charitable goals. Selecting the option that is best for you requires careful consideration with your professional advisers. Here are a few of the most common approaches:

A charitable gift annuity is a contract between you and Doylestown Health. In exchange for your generous gift, which is re-invested, we agree to make a fixed annual payment for the lifetime of the one or two annuitants. Upon the passing of the annuitant(s), the remainder of the investment goes to Doylestown Health to use for its charitable purposes. The rate of the annuity is determined by the age of the annuitant(s) at the time of the gift. You are entitled to an immediate income tax deduction, and a portion of the income you receive each year is tax-free.
A charitable remainder trust allows you to provide income for one or more beneficiaries for a term of years or for the lifetime of the beneficiaries. When the trust’s term ends or the last income beneficiary dies, the remaining assets in the trust are available to support the mission of Doylestown Health. A charitable remainder trust can take two forms: a charitable remainder unitrust, which provides a payment based on a percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets as determined annually; or a charitable remainder annuity trust, which provides a fixed payment amount based on the starting valuation of the trust. You are entitled to an immediate and sizable income tax deduction from either form.

The McCaughan’s Story

As Jack and Carol McCaughan developed plans for retirement, they chose to create a charitable remainder trust as a way to generate income, save taxes, and give back to Doylestown Health—an organization they’ve passionately supported for decades.

Retirement Plan Assets

One of the largest assets in your estate may be your retirement plan, such as a 401(k), IRA, or Keogh. If the beneficiary of these assets is a surviving spouse, it may be possible to defer the start of payments and the resulting income tax. Ultimately, however, all of the distributions from the retirement plan, whenever they occur and to whomever they are paid, are taxable to the person receiving them.

As a sensible charitable alternative, you may choose to name Doylestown Health as the beneficiary of your retirement plan, then use other assets not subject to income tax to make gifts to your heirs. As a qualified 501(c)(3) organization, Doylestown Health Foundation pays no income tax on the distribution, and your heirs will receive their share of your estate without the burden of extra taxes. To implement these changes, simply advise your plan administrator of your intentions and sign the required beneficiary forms.

IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution

In addition to naming Doylestown Health as the beneficiary of your retirement plans, donors age 70 1/2 and older can make transfer up to $100,000 from their IRA directly to Doylestown Health Foundation without having to recognize the transfer as income. These special distributions are tax-free and count toward a donor’s minimum annual distribution.

Bill Marshall’s Story

As the founder of Marshall Financial Group, Bill Marshall has been a trusted financial adviser to clients throughout Bucks County for over 40 years. When considering his own retirement planning, he knew his financial and philanthropic goals could easily align to benefit an organization close to his heart.

Gifts of Stock and Appreciated Securities

The IRS gives two tax benefits to donors who contribute long-term appreciated property, such as securities and real estate: a charitable deduction and the reduction or avoidance of capital gains tax on the transfer to Doylestown Health.

You can leverage the impact of your donation to a greater degree than you can with cash—and receive additional tax benefits. (Appreciated securities must be held by the donor for at least one year to qualify.) When you buy low and give high, you make a gift that costs you less than the benefit it delivers.

Securities may be transferred electronically. In order to properly acknowledge you and provide you with a receipt for your donation, please make sure to contact our office with your intentions before the transfer. For instructions on how to initiative these gifts, notify the director of development, Garrett Owen, at 215.345.2802 or gowen@dh.org.

The Della Pennas’ Story

Carol and Louis Della Penna’s generous investment helped make the hospital’s vision of an inpatient pediatric center a reality. Now the Della Penna Pediatric Center will help save the lived of countless children.

The information on this website is intended for educational purposes only and is not offered and should not be taken as legal, tax, or other professional advice. Always consult an attorney, accountant, or other professional adviser before making any decisions based on the information presented here.