Leave a Legacy Gift

The American Wild Horse Campaign is a registered 501(c) (3) charitable organization dedicated to preserving and protecting America's wild horses and burros in free-roaming herds and safeguarding their habitat through public awareness and educational programs, coalitions and strategic partnership building. Donations to the American Wild Horse Campaign are tax-deductible.

  • Legal Name: American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (DBA: American Wild Horse Campaign)

  • Address: P.O. Box 1733, Davis, CA 95617

  • Federal tax identification number: 47-4016989

  • Contact: Melissa Tritinger, [email protected]

Stay involved by designating your estate to defend wild horses and burros in perpetuity.

Planned gifts enable the American Wild Horse Campaign to implement the best programs to save wild horses and burros through legislation, litigation and advocacy. U.S. tax laws are structured to encourage charitable giving, and unlimited amounts can generally be donated to charitable purposes free of estate and gift taxes. Your estate plan represents your beliefs, and a way to continue your life passion into the future. There are many giving options as to how you can make wild horses and burros a part of your legacy:

  • Tax-Deductible Gifts 
  • Charity Remainder Trusts 
  • Charitable Lead Trusts 
  • Charitable Gift Annuities 
  • Financial Accounts 
  • Wills  
  • Living Trusts 
  • Life Insurance Policies 
  • Retirement Plans
  • Bequest Intention

We strongly suggest that you consult with your attorney or another independent professional advisor to ensure that your plans are in compliance with all applicable laws. 

Wills

Probably the most well-known estate-planning tool is the Last Will and Testament. Whether standing alone or as part of a multifaceted estate plan, a will is a convenient and often simple and straightforward way to distribute assets to those you love. It is also a powerful way to help wild horses and burros:

  • You can structure your will to make the American Wild Horse Campaign the beneficiary of a specific dollar amount or property, of a percentage of your estate, or of your residuary estate, which is what remains after all specific bequests and expenses have been accounted for and noted.

  • Through a properly tailored will or another estate plan, you have the opportunity to ensure that your compassion continues to make a difference for our wild ones long after you have gone.

The following language can generally be used to make a bequest to the American Wild Horse Campaign:  “I give, devise, and bequeath to the American Wild Horse Campaign, federal tax identification number 47-4016989, with the permanent address of P.O. Box 1733, Davis, CA 95617, the sum of $_______ [or describe the real or personal property or percentage of your estate] to be used for its general purposes.”

Living Trusts

A living trust is very similar to a will. Like a will, a living trust is revocable and contains instructions for who should handle your estate’s final affairs and who should receive your assets. A living trust can be used in conjunction with a will to help facilitate the management and distribution of your assets.

However, unlike a will, a living trust does not go through the probate process. Therefore, a living trust can provide a greater degree of privacy than a will, which once in probate becomes a public document. Also, unlike a will, a living trust goes into effect immediately, not after you pass away, and can thereby help you control your assets if you should become incapacitated.

Charity Remainder Trusts

Charitable remainder trusts make annual payments based on a payout percentage that you select (which must be at least 5 percent) to the named income beneficiaries. When the trust terminates, the assets that remain go directly to the American Wild Horse Campaign as your named charity.

The benefits of a charitable remainder trust are:

  • You can provide financial security for yourself and/or loved ones.
  • It facilitates diversification in a tax-free environment.
  • You may receive a charitable income-tax deduction in the year that you transfer assets to the trust (for the present value of what eventually will be transferred to the charity) and can carry over any unused deduction for an additional five years. You can avoid capital gains tax and maximize after-sale income.
  • The annual payouts may be partially tax-free (considered a return on investment).
  • Because the assets are removed from your estate, you may enjoy reduced probate costs and increased estate-tax savings.

Charitable Lead Trusts

  • Charitable lead trusts have been widely used as an effective method to transfer wealth to heirs. Essentially the mirror image of the charitable remainder trust, a charitable lead trust makes annual payments to the American Wild Horse Campaign as your named charity. When the trust terminates, the assets are either returned to you, the donor, or are distributed to your loved ones.
  • Charitable lead trusts can be a viable way to transfer assets to children or grandchildren at reduced gift and estate tax costs while supporting the American Wild Horse Campaign’s work during your lifetime.

Charitable Gift Annuities

A charitable gift annuity is a simple agreement between you as the donor and the American Wild Horse Campaign. In exchange for your gift of $10,000.00 or more, the American Wild Horse Campaign will pay you and/or another person or persons (no more than two for any one annuity) fixed payments each year for life. These fixed annual payments, known as annuity payments, are based on the age of the payment recipient, known as the annuitant, at the time of the gift.  The benefits of establishing a gift annuity are many:

  • First and foremost, you are making a wonderful gift to wild horses and burros.  After the annuity has ended, we will put your gift to good use in strengthening our programs.
  • You and/or your designated annuitant(s) will receive a fixed income stream for life.
  • You may receive a charitable tax deduction in the year that you make the gift and can carry over any unused portion of the deduction for an additional five years. A portion of the annual annuity payments may be tax-free.
  • If your gift is of appreciated securities, you will save on capital gains taxes.

Financial Accounts

Financial accounts such as checking accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit can be designated as “payable on death” (POD) to the American Wild Horse Campaign, meaning that you, as the owner of the account, name the American Wild Horse Campaign to receive the funds upon your passing. This type of arrangement is also sometimes referred to as a “Totten Trust” or a “Savings Account Trust.” Additionally, most states allow stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other securities to be designated as “transfer on death” (TOD).  Advantage of financial accounts:

  • Funds from a POD/TOD account pass directly to the American Wild Horse Campaign, avoiding the probate process.
  • You retain complete control over the funds during your lifetime. Also, as the account’s owner, you may cancel the account or modify your beneficiary designation(s) at any time.
  • To make the American Wild Horse Campaign a “payable on death” or “transfer on death” beneficiary, simply contact your bank, credit union, or brokerage firm.

Life Insurance Policies

Life insurance can be an easy and flexible way to make an important gift to the American Wild Horse Campaign. Whether it is an old policy that has outlived its original purpose (such as for a spouse who no longer needs it, a child who is financially independent, or to protect a business that no longer exists) or a new policy purchased specifically to benefit the American Wild Horse Campaign, a gift of life insurance can allow you to leave a much larger gift to horses than may have been possible during your lifetime.

The simplest way is by making the American Wild Horse Campaign a beneficiary of an already existing life insurance policy. Upon your passing, the full face value amount of the policy will go to the American Wild Horse Campaign. Although the proceeds from the policy will be included in your gross estate, the full amount received by the American Wild Horse Campaign may be deductible as a charitable deduction.

To make the American Wild Horse Campaign a beneficiary of an already existing life insurance policy, you can simply request a beneficiary designation form from your employer or insurance company.

Retirement Plans

Qualified retirement plans such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and Keogh plans have become an increasingly popular way to save money for retirement. Typically these plans offer tax savings at the time the funds are contributed and then the funds build tax-deferred until they are withdrawn.

Many people choose to designate their loved ones as beneficiaries of retirement plan assets. However, by doing so, your loved ones may see only a small fraction of the gift. This is because your retirement assets may be subject to several types of taxes, including federal and possibly state estate taxes, as well as income taxes, which could conceivably consume 70 percent or more of the value of retirement assets left to your loved ones.

You can avoid this heavy taxation by making the American Wild Horse Campaign a beneficiary of your retirement plan assets and using other less-taxed assets to provide for your loved ones. Naming the American Wild Horse Campaign as the beneficiary of a retirement account means that the American Wild Horse Campaign will receive 100 percent of your retirement plan proceeds free of all taxes. Although the proceeds will be included in your gross estate, they will be completely deductible as a charitable gift. And because the American Wild Horse Campaign is exempt from income taxes, there will be no income-tax liability.

The procedure for naming the American Wild Horse Campaign as a beneficiary of your retirement plan is quite simple. The administrator of your plan can provide you with a beneficiary change form.