Estate Gifts and Planned Giving
Each of us wants to leave a legacy of what we have accomplished during our lifetime – in our children and grandchildren – and in continuation of the charitable efforts and organizations we highly value and support.
As you have been accumulating wealth during your lifetime, the question will inevitably come up, “What will happen to my assets when I pass away?” And “How can I protect the assets I want my family to inherit and ensure that a portion of my estate goes to the humanitarian causes that are important to me?”
Formulating an estate plan and considering options to make charitable contributions from our estates is central to ensuring a lasting legacy.
As each of us grows older we experience the challenges that many older adults have experienced before us. The realities of aging make us more aware of the severity and extent of the challenges many seniors face, and the corresponding need for more impactful philanthropy to support and strengthen all the agencies and nonprofit organizations that are providing essential services for seniors.
Some of the largest contributions donors will ever make may come from their estate when they pass away. Larger gifts like this can be placed into a permanent Endowment Fund named for you and your family, achieving an enduring legacy where endowment earnings benefit the needs of seniors in perpetuity. This strategy also provides an opportunity for entire families to establish an ongoing culture of giving.
Determine the Most Tax-Wise Gift
Outright Gifts Can Be Made With:
- Cash
- Publicly Traded Securities
- Private Equity and Closely Held Stock
- Real Estate
- Paid-Up Life Insurance
- IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions
Planned Gifts Can Be Made With:
- Bequests
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- Life Insurance
- Retirement Accounts
- Other Deferred Giving Options

The executive team at the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation (SDSCF) is available to work with you and your estate planning attorney or financial advisor to consider various options for an estate plan that accomplishes your objectives. And you can specify that contributions to SDSCF from your estate be directed to benefit seniors in specific focus areas, such as senior homelessness, elder abuse, senior orphans (reducing the detrimental impact of social isolation), and infrastructure (such as senior centers), to name a few. Or you can designate your estate contribution as discretionary, enabling the SDSCF governing board to direct those resources to the most urgent needs for seniors.
We are happy to meet with you and your tax or legal advisor to help coordinate the charitable direction of your estate plan and discuss the type of fund you want to set up at the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation and how you want your gift to be used to benefit seniors.
Contact SDSCF to discuss planned giving options to help support our mission.
619-684-9114