Planned Giving Program
 
 

Planned Giving Program

 

The Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club Foundation

 

“The future depends on what we do in the present.”
 -Mahatma Gandhi

 
 
 

    The Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club Foundation, Inc. (RBRCF) was incorporated in 1978 with the specific and primary purposes of operating a foundation exclusively for charitable, cultural, scientific, civic, health and/or educational purposes, primarily for the local community.  In addition to the Articles of Incorporation, the RBRCF has a strong set of Bylaws which govern membership, officers, and grant allocations.  Every member of the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo is a member of the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club Foundation.  

 

The RBRCF is separate and distinct from The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, which was founded more than 100 years ago and has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.  The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.  Both The Rotary Foundation and the RBRCF have the highest possible Charity Navigator rating, the world’s largest and most utilized non-profit evaluator. 

 

It is easy to see the incredible dedication and caring that members of the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club have exhibited towards the RBRCF as it strives to embody the Rotary theme of “Service Above Self”.  Both the financial generosity and the tireless devotion of manhours to support charitable activities have been a hallmark of our club.  Since establishment, the RBRCF has supported countless local and international charitable organizations as well as the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club in their endeavors to support youth programs.  For example, in the last 5 years, the RBRCF has provided almost $250,000 in grants to support charitable organizations as well as scholarships for high school students at local schools.  As of January 2021, the balance of funds held by the RBRCF is over $530,000 and the disciplined allocation process controlled by a very dedicated Board of Trustees as well as prudent investments has allowed for maintenance of our corpus over the years. For more information on RBRCF, including causes we support, visit https://www.rbrotary.org/page/causes-we-support & https://www.rbrotary.org/page/rancho-bernardo-rotary-foundation.

 

The RBRCF achieves increases in funding in four principal ways.  First, the members of the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club, each of whom is a member of the RBRCF, have consistently provided very generous donations year over year.  Additionally, the RBRCF has conducted various fundraisers over the 42 years since incorporation which have significantly contributed to increases in assets.  Third, prudent and conservative investments by our Trustees through our professional financial manager, who is also a club member, have resulted in consistent positive returns.  Finally, there have been sporadic gifts bequeathed by donors, both members and non-members, who have recognized the importance of contributing assets to an organization like the RBRCF which makes a difference in so many local lives. 

 

Planned Giving

 

Until now, there has been no formalized planned giving program that will provide increased resources to strengthen and extend our Foundation.  Planned giving is the act of making a commitment to give a charitable organization a major gift, over time or at death, as part of the donor’s overall financial and estate planning.  Estate plan vehicles can get quite complicated.  Planned gifts can range from the relatively simple bequest made in a will, to gifts like charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts that provide major gifts to a non-profit while at the same time returning income to the donor.  In implementing a Planned Giving program, the RBRCF aims to provide members and others an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives and to always be remembered for their contribution.  Carefully established, an estate plan that includes giving can also be of benefit to the giver’s family.

 

Conversations about Planned Giving soon involves technical jargon and the intricacies of tax law.  Advice in such important matters is best obtained from your attorney and financial professionals.    The RBRCF does not intend to actively manage planned gifts, but rather offer information regarding alternatives and encourage donors to discuss options with their estate attorney or financial advisors.  In fact, the RBRCF specifically will not give tax or legal advice and donors should consult your estate attorney and financial advisor on all tax and legal issues.  Additionally, RBRCF will not be managing or monitoring any planned giving instruments, as it will only accept the donation as administered by an attorney, accountant, Executor, Trustee, or donor.  In addition, we strongly encourage discussions with family when considering implementation of a Planned Giving program to benefit RBRCF.  

 

Although RBRCF will not act as administrators or advisors of various instruments for donors use, we have compiled options as described by plannedgiving.com, an authoritative source for planned giving programs.  Basic descriptions of several options in developing a planned giving strategy can be found in the second section of this document, “Planned Giving Options”.

 

Incredibly, two thirds of Americans die without making a will.  In these cases, the state dictates the disposition of the worldly goods.  Imagine what could be accomplished if each of us took the simple first step of Planned Giving and made a will or established a trust that includes RBRCF.  Over time, our resources for helping others would be tremendously increased and families would be greatly helped.

 

The Blue and Gold Society

 

The Blue and Gold Society is a faithful group of individuals and couples who have expressed their commitment to the mission of the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club Foundation by remembering us in their will, trust or estate plan.  Each of us must decide how to put our accumulated assets to work building on what we have accomplished in life.  As we all are recipients of those who came before us, we have to ask ourselves what will be our contribution to those who come after?  Planned giving allows us to transfer accumulated assets from one generation to the next, thus allowing what we all know as the great work of Rotary to continue.  It has also been found that people who participate in legacy or planned giving experience a sense of satisfaction that helps us as we face our mortality.  It has been said that as we begin to decide how we want to be remembered after we are gone, we begin to change the way we live today as we more fully embrace Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self”.

 

Once you have made the decision to establish a planned giving gift to the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club Foundation, we will be very pleased to recognize your dedication and foresight.  We encourage donors to let us know of their plans so that we may deliberately plan for the eventual gift and properly recognize you.  As previously stated, we also strongly encourage you to discuss this plan with your family.   The level or type of gift does not matter.  All you have to do to become a member of the Blue and Gold Society is to remember RBRCF in your will, trust, or other testamentary device.  We have developed a simple form that the Secretary of the RBRCF will keep on file and use when the time comes to verify the gift and arrange for transfer.  This form is provided as Enclosure 1 to this letter https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010115/en-us/files/homepage/planned-giving-program/Planned-Giving-FINAL-May21.pdf

 

If you have remembered RBRCF in your will or other estate plans in any way, you are already a member!  Simply let us know so that we can properly recognize you with a certificate and appropriate keepsake identifying you as a Blue and Gold member.  The Blue and Gold Society will also be holding occasional gatherings of donors and families to recognizing your dedication.

 

Contact Us

 

    If you have any questions regarding a planned giving program to benefit RBRCF or would like to get started please contact our Secretary, Charley Crew at charleycrew@sbcglobal.net or 858-210-2266.  If you have already decided to participate in a planned giving program to benefit RBRCF simply fill out the form at the Enclosure and return it to Charley Crew, 12226 Kingsgate Square, San Diego, CA 92128.  

 
 
For Additional Resources On Rancho Bernardo Rotary Foundation Planned Giving Program: