Your Life and Legacy

For many people, charitable legacy planning is about far more than what they leave behind; it’s about what they choose to carry forward. Their legacy reflects the people, opportunities and causes they hope will continue to thrive long into the future.

Intentional planning can help you achieve meaningful goals

Thoughtful planning can help you care for loved ones, support the organizations and causes that matter most to you, and create a lasting expression of your generosity and vision for the future. And more families today are recognizing the importance of intentional legacy planning.

In 2024, Americans contributed more than $45 billion to charitable organizations through bequests, and charitable estate giving is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades as baby boomers transfer an estimated $70 trillion in assets.

At Madison Community Foundation, we help people engage in the intentional planning that transforms their charitable intentions into enduring community impact.

Expanding our legacy giving opportunities

As interest in legacy giving continues to grow, MCF is responding by adding my new role, which is focused on donor and legacy engagement. In this role, I work closely with individuals, families and their advisors to explore charitable giving plans that reflect their personal values, family priorities and hopes for the future. I also partner with nonprofits to help strengthen their organization’s legacy giving opportunities for donors.

Whether your goals are simple or complex, MCF can help you explore giving strategies to meet them. Working with us allows you to:

• Tap into our deep knowledge of the Madison community and emerging local needs.
• Benefit from trusted long-term stewardship of your charitable funds.
• Receive professional investment management.
• Adapt your charitable plans as community needs evolve.
• Involve future generations in your family’s philanthropy.

Creating a legacy that reflects you

Your legacy serves as a reflection of what mattered most to you during your lifetime and is an investment in the future you hope to create. MCF can help you create a lasting charitable legacy in many ways. You can choose to:

• Establish a new endowed fund in your family’s name or in honor of someone important to you.
• Strengthen an existing endowed fund with your contributions.
• Support MCF’s Community Impact, Field of Interest or Priority Funds.
• Create a charitable gift annuity that provides you with lifetime income and supports your chosen organization in the future.
• Directly support the nonprofits you care about through outright gifts.

No matter which approach you choose, MCF can help make the process thoughtful, personal and meaningful. We are available to meet confidentially to discuss your goals, explore tools for giving, provide sample estate-planning language, and collaborate with your professional advisors as desired.

To learn more about legacy giving opportunities through Madison Community Foundation, please contact me at 608-232-1763 or czanoni@madisongives.org.