The charitable bequest is the most familiar and widely used way to benefit Scouting at some future time. It is how many donors choose to establish a legacy after their lifetime, but in a way that remains revocable at any time during their life.

Most who include Scouting in their wills often benefit their heirs at the same time. A charitable bequest is completely deductible from the estate. Depending on your needs, there are many forms a bequest to Scouting can take. These include:

1. General Bequest a designated sum of money from your estate, such as $10,000. These are among the first bequests to be fulfilled in an estate.

2. Specific Bequest a specifically designated item, such as stock in a certain company, a specific home or piece of land, art work, etc. If you do not own the item at the time of your death, the beneficiary will get nothing.

3. Percentage Bequest a designated percentage of your estate, such as 10%. A good way to ensure that inflation will not reduce the value of your bequest to Scouting. Read more »

Types of Bequests

Bequests link past and future in a special way, connecting your personal history with your hopes for the future. Whether through residual, specific or contingent bequests, your gift makes a real difference for Scouting Community.

Three types of bequests:

• Residual: Designate a portion of your estate to the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America after other specific bequests are distributed to other beneficiaries.
• Specific: Make a simple bequest gift of a fixed dollar amount or specific property (stock, real estate, personal property) to the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America.
• Contingent: Name the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America as contingent beneficiary in your will or trust, and we will receive a gift to the Council, only if all other beneficiaries are deceased or other factors make it impossible to carry out a primary bequest.

If you decide to include the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America in your will, living trust or other estate plans, share this good news with us. We’d like to ensure that we use your gift in the manner you wish and to welcome you to the Heritage Society.

Sample Bequest Language

The following language may be useful to you and your attorney as you review ways in which you can best include the Council in your will or revocable trust. You should always seek the advice of a qualified professional when planning the disposition of your estate.

For a specific amount: “I bequeath to the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America, of Santa Ana, California, a California non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, the sum of _______ dollars ($_____) for its general purposes.”

For a percentage of your estate:   “I bequeath to Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America, of Santa Ana, California, a California  non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation,  ___% of my adjusted gross estate as finally determined for federal estate tax purposes.”

For your residuary estate:   “I devise and bequeath the residue of the property owned by me at my death, real and personal and wherever situate, to the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America, of Santa Ana, California, a California501(c)(3) corporation.”

To establish an endowment:   “I bequeath to the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America of Santa Ana, California, a California 501(c)(3) corporation, the sum of _______ dollars ($________) to be used to establish the _____________ Endowed Fund, the earnings from which shall be used for _____________.”  (Please contact us regarding the minimum gift required to establish a new endowed fund.)