Are you in a crisis? Click Here for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Are you in a crisis? Click Here for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
A planned gift is a compelling way to support Buckelew Programs and leave a meaningful philanthropic legacy. Your gift makes a lasting impact on people living with mental health and substance use challenges, helping them stabilize and thrive.
Jack was 17 when his sister, Jill, first showed signs of schizophrenia. It was 1971, and their family was ‘knocked sideways.’ After many ER visits and suicide attempts, they found Buckelew’s Marin Assisted Independent Living (MAIL) housing program where Jill continues to live today. Jill found a job at a local theater, where she has worked for over 20 years – never missing a day. Now in her 70s, she stays active.
A Legacy Circle member donated the home Jill shares with her peers. This gift provides long-term security in a safe and comfortable environment.
“MAIL is an amazing gift for the whole family. My sister became more confident and stabilized. We were so relieved to find Buckelew.”
Buckelew’s Legacy Circle members ensure compassionate mental health and substance use care reaches those who need it most. Through ongoing philanthropic support, they help secure the long-term sustainability of Buckelew’s programs—offering peace of mind that these vital services, which may have supported their own loved ones, will be available for generations to come.
Members receive special bi-annual updates on our community impact and invitations to Legacy Circle events.
“I give to Buckelew Programs because I have witnessed the lasting effects that substance abuse and mental health issues have on families. And I have seen firsthand how Buckelew’s services heal lives and create hope.
From a financial planning perspective, I make a stock donation to avoid capital gains on the sale of stock.”
Leslie Dixon, Legacy Circle member
There are many ways to make a significant gift to support Buckelew. No matter your financial means, or the method you wish to use, you can leave a remarkable legacy.
Assets like bank and brokerage accounts, CDs and savings bonds can be wonderful gifts to create your legacy at Buckelew Programs. Simply name Buckelew Programs as the pay-on-death (POD) or transfer-on-death (TOD) beneficiary of these assets.
You can name Buckelew Programs as the beneficiary of your entire Donor Advised Fund (DAF) or percentage, leaving the balance in your DAF for your children and grandchildren to continue your philanthropy.
To make a DAF gift to Buckelew Programs:
Gifting a home or property to Buckelew ensures essential housing for the most vulnerable members of our community, offering stability and safety for the future. It allows you to support a cause you care deeply about, gain potential tax benefits, and simplify your estate planning. Instead of dealing with the hassle of selling or managing the property yourself, make it part of your philanthropic legacy and impact lives long into the future.
A powerful example: For decades, Buckelew’s Lakeside House in Marin County has provided affordable, supported housing for individuals with serious behavioral health challenges, empowering them to live as independently as possible. Recently, the property owner who had been leasing Lakeside to us made a remarkable gift—donating the house itself in gratitude for the program that sheltered and supported their adult son for years. Today, Lakeside continues to help people who might otherwise face hospitalization or homelessness. This extraordinary gift is a testament to the life-changing impact of generosity!
To discuss donating real estate, contact Patricia Gallagher, Chief Philanthropy Officer, at PatG@Buckelew.org or 415.261.7995
Donors aged 70½ or older can make gifts from their individual retirement account (IRA) to a qualified charity, like Buckelew Programs, tax-free. This type of gift is called a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), and it allows you to make a direct impact while enjoying tax benefits.
Among advantages to consider: If you’re 73 or older and required to take required minimum distributions (RMDs), a QCD can help satisfy your RMD without increasing your taxable income, keeping you in a lower tax bracket.
Consult your tax advisor for gift limits and exceptions.
To make a QCD gift to Buckelew Programs:
Donating your life insurance to a charity, like Buckelew Programs, allows you to support a cause you care deeply about, often with a larger gift than you could give during your lifetime. For example, a policy with $100,000 in premiums could provide significantly greater death benefits to the charity. Plus, it may offer tax benefits for your estate while
ensuring your legacy helps others. Consult your tax advisor for details.
Two of the ways to donate life insurance:
To donate life insurance to Buckelew Programs:
Consider leaving your 401k, IRA, or other retirement assets to a charity, like Buckelew Programs, to ensure your philanthropic legacy lives on after your death. This also could reduce income and estate taxes, benefiting your chosen charity and your heirs alike. Consult your tax advisor for details.
To designate your retirement assets be donated directly to Buckelew Programs:
Making a gift to Buckelew Programs through your will or revocable trust is simple, costs nothing now, and creates a lasting impact on those facing mental health and substance use challenges. You can bequest a specific amount or a percentage of your estate.
Here is sample wording you may include in your estate documents (or download and print this document):
Unrestricted Bequest:
I give [ __ percent of my estate, or description of asset, or ____ dollars] to Buckelew Programs, a California nonprofit corporation, 201 Alameda del Prado, Suite 103, Novato, CA 94949 (Buckelew Programs Tax ID 23-7088977), for its greatest needs.
Restricted Bequest:
I give [ __ percent of my estate, or ___ dollars, or description of asset] to Buckelew Programs, a California nonprofit corporation, 201 Alameda del Prado, Suite 103, Novato, CA 94949 (Buckelew Programs Tax ID 23-7088977), for the restricted purpose of _______. If, in the future, Buckelew Programs determines that the restriction placed herein would result in an impracticable use of the bequest, it may designate another purpose for its use that most nearly accomplishes my wishes.
Percentage of Residue:
I give [ __ percent of the residue of my estate] to Buckelew Programs, a California nonprofit corporation, 201 Alameda del Prado, Suite 103, Novato, CA 94949 (Buckelew Programs Tax ID 23-7088977), for its general use OR for the restricted purpose of _______. If, in the future, Buckelew Programs determines that the restriction placed herein would result in an impracticable use of the bequest, it may designate another purpose for its use that most nearly accomplishes my wishes.
Did you know a gift of stock may provide more benefits than a cash gift? By gifting stock to Buckelew Programs, you eliminate the capital gains taxes that would apply if you sold the stock yourself. This way, you could maximize your tax savings while supporting our vital behavioral health programs. Consult your tax advisor for details.
To donate stocks, bonds or mutual funds to Buckelew Programs, consult your financial advisor or broker. They will ask for the following information:
“Buckelew Programs’ mission is very compelling. They serve people with a variety of needs and make dramatic impacts on their lives. That is why I volunteer for Buckelew, and why Nancy and I choose to make meaningful contributions from a rollover IRA.”
Stan and Nancy
