Planned Giving

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Leave a Legacy: Shape the Future of Occupational Therapy

Planned giving offers you the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the future of occupational therapy, while also potentially providing valuable tax benefits. Whether you choose to give through your IRA, will, or trust, you decide what your legacy will be. Your donation can support scholarships, research and publications, leadership development and recognition, and education.

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Giving from Your IRA

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

If you have a traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and are 70½ years old or older, the IRS requires you to withdraw Required Minimum Distribution (RMD’s) funds from your account. These withdrawals can increase your total taxable income, sometimes pushing you into a higher tax bracket.

A tax-smart solution: Donate these funds to a charity such as AOTF via a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to avoid paying taxes on them. You can also make AOTF the beneficiary of your entire IRA.

Types of Bequests

A general bequest instructs that a specific amount of money, a percentage of your estate, or a certain piece of property be given at the time of your death. For most people, a gift of a percentage of the remaining estate after taxes and debts have been satisfied is the most appropriate use of a general bequest.

Sample language for your will or trust:

I give, devise, and bequeath __% of my Estate, after taxes and debts have been satisfied, to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Inc., a Delaware nonprofit corporation, located in Rockville, Maryland.

OR

I give, devise and bequeath that the amount $__ be given to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, located in Rockville, Maryland.

A residual bequest designates that the remainder or balance of your estate goes to AOTF after your will or trust has made gifts of money or property to your loved ones.

Sample language for your will or trust:

I give, devise, and bequeath all the rest, residue, and remainder of my property, real, personal, or mixed; after all personal bequests have been made, to AOTF, a Delaware nonprofit corporation located in Rockville, Maryland.

A contingent bequest is useful when you want to make a gift to AOTF but feel your heirs will need all the resources of your estate. A contingent bequest takes effect only in the event that none of your heirs survives you. Though planning for this type of contingency may seem unnecessary, it is an important part of good stewardship.

Sample language for your will or trust:

In the event my wife (or husband) and all of my children should die prior to the distribution of my estate without leaving descendants surviving such event, then, and in that event, the undistributed corpus of my estate shall be distributed to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit corporation registered in Delaware and located in Rockville, Maryland.

A bequest following income provides a regular income stream from a trust to one or more loved ones for a specified term. After the term is fulfilled, a percentage of the remaining amount or the entire amount will be allocated to AOTF. This is often used in conjunction with a children’s trust in a will. The trust can be designated to hold the assets until the youngest living child reaches a certain age, and then to be divided among the children and the charity.

Sample language for your will or trust:

The Trustee shall hold the corpus of my Trust until my youngest living child reaches the age of twenty-two (22), at which time my Trustee shall then distribute fifty percent (50%) of my estate to my children in equal shares and fifty percent (50%) to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit corporation registered in Delaware and located in Rockville, Maryland.

A “Give It Twice” bequest is another variation of the Bequest Following Income. Under this arrangement, the assets are held in trust for the children for 10 years after the death of the legal spouse or partner of the person preparing the will.

How it works:

  • During this time, the Trustee distributes 10% of the value of the trust each year to the children as beneficiaries (or 100% of the initial value of the trust over the term)
  • If the trust earns close to 10% each year, the children will receive the full value of the estate spread out over a 10-year period
  • After the 10-year period expires, AOTF receives the remaining value
  • AOTF can even serve as the Trustee of the trust if you prefer

Benefits: This approach helps ensure that the children do not spend the inheritance too quickly and that AOTF receives a significant gift from the estate

Sample language for your will or trust:

The Trustee shall hold the corpus of my estate in Trust for a period of ten years following my death. During that time, the Trustee shall pay out 10% of the Trust’s initial value each year to my children in equal shares. At the end of the ten-year term, the Trustee shall distribute the balance of the Trust estate to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit corporation registered in Delaware and located in Rockville, Maryland.

Important Reminder

Individuals should always consult their personal attorney or qualified estate-planning professional for guidance on how best to ensure occupational therapy flourishes in the future through an estate gift or bequest to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.

Ready to Get Started?

To create a planned gift for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation in your estate plan, please contact the AOTF Development Office:

Submit Your Interest

Your planned gift will help advance the science of occupational therapy and support future generations of professionals who will carry forward your commitment to improving lives through meaningful participation in everyday activities..

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