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Do you own a donor advised fund or are you thinking about setting one up? Including the IEEE Foundation in your Donor Advised Fund Succession Plan will now qualify you to join the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League, an elite group of legacy giving donors who are Forever Generous. 

A Donor Advised Fund is a centralized charitable account that enables charitably-inclined individuals, families, and businesses to make tax-deductible charitable donations (in the United States) of cash, publicly-traded stock, and in some cases certain illiquid assets to a public charity that sponsors a DAF program. These types of accounts have become very popular and offer several tax and planning benefits.

A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Succession Plan is an important part of a DAF owner’s estate plan and charitable legacy. It involves directing the DAF sponsor how to distribute the remaining balance in the DAF upon the owner’s (or owners’) passing. The exact options available to a DAF owner vary and are determined by the DAF sponsor. The most common options related to designating a non-profit like the IEEE Foundation include:

● Naming the IEEE Foundation as successor advisor to the DAF
● Naming the IEEE Foundation as full or partial beneficiary of the DAF
● Endowing the DAF to issue grants to the IEEE Foundation for as long as possible

“Our IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League members are planners and care deeply about the future of IEEE. By integrating the IEEE and the IEEE Foundation into their estate plan through bequests in their will or trust and naming us as the beneficiary of their retirement account or life insurance policy, they engrave a legacy of generosity and advancement on their professional home. The IEEE Foundation Board is delighted to add designating the IEEE Foundation in your DAF Succession Plan as another option to enable more donors to join the League” said Karen Galuchie, IEEE Foundation Executive Director. 

The first such caring planners to take advantage of this new opportunity to join the League by including the IEEE Foundation in their DAF Succession Plan are David (Dave) and Beverly Green. Dave served on the IEEE Foundation for nine years and knows first hand the impact the IEEE donor supported programs have on their beneficiaries.When we asked Dave about this gift, he described the importance of the Foundation and the easy decision he and his wife made in supporting the Foundation through this new method: “Like everyone with a DAF, we have made a decision to donate, over time, to causes we believe in, like the IEEE Foundation. When it came to designating successors to our DAF, it seemed obvious that we should name a charity to receive the funds rather than having someone else make decisions on directing the funds.  The IEEE Foundation was an obvious choice for us. We support the Foundation, its mission, and its programs. For us, it is the perfect choice for the remaining funds.” 

Contact us to join Dave and Bev Green as members of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League.

About of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League
The IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League is named for Gertrude and Alfred N. Goldsmith in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to the IEEE. During his life, Alfred N. Goldsmith made a significant personal commitment to furthering the goals of the profession. He was one of the founders of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), a predecessor society of the IEEE, Editor of the Proceedings of the IRE for 42 years, and a member of the IRE board for 51 years. He perpetuated his commitment to the profession after his death by providing a significant bequest to the IEEE Foundation through his estate. Gertrude honored her husband’s legacy in the engineering community by also leaving a generous portion of her estate to the IEEE Foundation. Together Gertrude (Maude) and Alfred N. and Goldsmith’s philanthropic vision seeded the IEEE Foundation’s ability to support IEEE’s mission. 

IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League is published once per year in the Annual Report. Donors have the option of being listed anonymously. Members of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League receive: 

● Recognition item
● Personal estate and tax planning information 
● IEEE Foundation Focus newsletter 

If you have a plan in place that includes the IEEE Foundation, we invite you to share that news with us and join the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League and be Forever Generous.

Please contact us with any questions you may have about your estate and IEEE.
Phone: +1 732.562.5446 e-mail: donate@ieee.org

This publication is intended to provide general gift planning information. Our organization is not qualified to provide specific legal, tax or investment advice, and this publication should not be looked to or relied upon as a source for such advice. Consult with your own legal and financial advisors before making any gift.