Ways to Give

Legacy giving is simple and costs you nothing today.

Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter has been helping people help animals for years with the support of generous donors like you. Including YVAS in your will or other legacy planning will help us save animals and support our community for the foreseeable future.

Legacy gifts can qualify for significant tax deductions. Creating your planned gift can be a relatively smooth and straightforward process, and we’re happy to assist you. If you have already included YVAS in your plans, please let us know so we can thank you! Our EIN is 26-1389957.

We hope you will consider joining YVAS’s Legacy Society. Membership is as simple as naming YVAS as the beneficiary of your will, trust, insurance policy, donor-advised fund, or financial account. Your membership includes a Legacy Society decal, regular updates, and invitations to special events.

For more information, please contact Tiffany at 406-294-7387 ext. 005 or tiffany,[email protected].

FreeWill:

INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT FREEWILL HERE.

Bequests in Wills & Trusts:

The most straightforward legacy-giving option is to make a bequest in your will. In its simplest form, a will is a legal declaration by you naming one or more persons to manage all of your assets (your ‘estate’) and provides for the distribution of those assets at death. A will is essential to ensure your property is distributed according to your wishes.

Bequests made through your will may take various forms:

• Specific Bequest: Directs a particular dollar gift or property to pass to YVAS.
• Percentage Bequest: Designates a percentage of the estate’s total value as a gift to YVAS.
• Residual Bequest: This bequest directs that YVAS receive the remainder of the estate, or a portion of it after all, expenses and other bequests have been made.

A bequest to YVAS is not subject to federal or estate taxes, and there’s no limit on the deduction amount. Most importantly, your bequest to YVAS will help ensure our organization can provide animal care and protection in future years.  ((IS THIS TRUE FOR MT???))

Make a plan for your pets while giving back!

To make it easier to create your legacy, YVAS has partnered with FreeWill to provide a simple way to write your legally valid will in 20 minutes or less. FreeWill allows you to care for your loved ones and pets while ensuring YVAS remains a safe haven for animals for generations to come—and it costs nothing to give today!

This tool is free to use, so start your plans today!

Please work with appropriate legal counsel for large estates, blended families, or other complex situations.

Bequest provision language:

A bequest provision to make a gift to YVAS in a will may be made using the following language:

I give, devise, and bequeath to Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, a non-profit organization located at 1735 Monad Road, Billings, Montana, 59101, EIN 26-1389957,

______ percent of my estate (or the sum of $ ___; or ___ percent of the residue of my estate) as an unrestricted gift.

Beneficiary Designations for Other Assets:

IRAs, retirement plans, life insurance policies, and bank accounts allow you to name a beneficiary on those accounts. Naming YVAS as a beneficiary allows assets to pass directly to the shelter. You’ll decide what percentage (from 1% to 100%) you would like the shelter to receive. We can be a primary or contingent beneficiary and are grateful for any percentage you choose.

These additional assets are not covered in a standard will or trust. If you have an IRA, 401(k), life insurance policy, or any additional financial accounts, these are called “non-probate assets,” they need to be planned for separately. Using this online tool, you can log all of your assets, decide who will be the beneficiary, and receive printable instructions on how to set each one up with your broker.

Plan your beneficiaries today.

Other Planned Giving Options: