Legacy Planning
A Lasting Difference
Planned giving is about your legacy.
Your legacy contribution ensures your values are woven into the fabric of our mission to ensure children and youth build lifelong stability through connections to loving families, supportive adults, and nurturing environments.
You’re the author of the next generation’s story.
Your family’s story helps shape the community’s story. The love and support you share with others during your lifetime will have a positive and transformative impact, creating a bright future for generations of children and families to come.
Turn intention into impact with a sound investment.
Since 1885, Boys & Girls Aid has improved the lives of children, youth and families, operating with financial sustainability throughout every chapter of our history. Your contribution is a solid, reliable investment in the well-being of children and families in our community.
Ella M. Smith: An Enduring Legacy
For the first four years of Boys & Girls Aid's history, our work was done entirely without a single paid staff member. These early volunteers made major strides with limited resources including placing 36 children in permanent homes.
Regardless of their dedication, the reality was that, without stable funding, the organization could not survive. Boys & Girls Aid's story might have ended there, if not for one woman who changed everything.
Ella M. Smith, one of Portland’s most prominent residents, felt a deep connection to Boys & Girls Aid’s mission. She believed in the power of community to create lasting change and was inspired by what our organization was able to accomplish with so little.
When Ella passed away in 1889, she left a bequest of $40,000 to Boys & Girls Aid — an amount equal to about $1.5 million today. The impact of this gift cannot be overstated. Her donation didn’t just keep our doors open in 1889; it opened the door to a brighter future for youth for decades to come.
Her single donation enabled Boys & Girls Aid to hire our first paid staff members, open our first receiving home in 1891, and lay the foundation of sustainability we have in place today. The story of Ella M. Smith's generosity is a lasting reminder of the power of a single donation to endure and create positive change for generations to come.
Your legacy starts today.
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By including Boys & Girls Aid in your estate plans, you become part of a more than 140-year-long lineage of generosity that has uplifted generations of children, youth, and families. As a member of the Beach Legacy Society, you’ll receive a commemorative leaf on our Legacy Tree, as well as access to special Boys & Girls Aid events and activities.
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A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a charitable giving account that allows you to make a tax-deductible contribution, invest for potential growth, and recommend grants to qualified non-profits over time. The fastest growing charitable giving vehicle in the United States, DAFs provide immediate tax benefits and are a simple and flexible way to support Boys & Girls Aid while organizing your philanthropic giving in one place.
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Donating stocks, bonds, and mutual funds directly to Boys & Girls Aid is a cost-effective way to support our mission. By gifting appreciated securities, you may avoid capital gains taxes while still receiving a charitable deduction.
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Adding Boys & Girls Aid as a beneficiary on your IRA or other retirement plan is an easy and flexible way to ensure our agency's programs and services are accessible to children, youth, and families for generations to come. Simply add Boys & Girls Aid to your beneficiary designation list with a specified donation amount or percentage. Should your financial situation change, designations can be easily updated at any time.
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If you are 65 or older, a charitable gift annuity is a powerful way you can provide Boys & Girls Aid with immediate capital assets and future financial support, while receiving a fixed lifetime income and a charitable tax deduction in the year you make the gift. In exchange for a one-time donation of $10,000 or more to Boys & Girls Aid, a charitable gift annuity will provide you with a fixed stream of partially tax-free income for the rest of your life. Upon your passing, the remaining principal in the annuity will transfer directly to Boys & Girls Aid to fund our mission to ensure children and youth are able to build lifelong stability through connections to loving families, supportive adults, and nurturing environments.
Every size gift helps pave the way to a brighter future. There are several ways you can create a lasting legacy while meeting your personal financial needs by reducing taxes and generating income.