Loma Linda University Health's Bequest Language
About Bequests
You may be looking for a way to make a significant gift to help further our mission. A bequest is a gift made through your will or trust. It is one of the most popular and flexible ways that you can support our cause. Please reach out to The Office of Planned Giving for more information on bequests and to obtain the correct tax ID that corresponds with your area of giving.
Types of Bequests
There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to Loma Linda University Health.
Percentage Bequest. Another kind of specific bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to Loma Linda University Health.
Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to Loma Linda University Health.
Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to Loma Linda University Health.
Bequest Benefits
Bequest Language
We are very grateful to those who elect to include Loma Linda University Health as a charitable beneficiary of their legacy plan. Loma Linda University Health encompasses a number of different entities operating under one corporate umbrella. The university has eight schools. There are multiple hospitals, each one involving many departmental specialties and lines of patient care that a donor may support. Alumni usually want to support their specific school and grateful patients choose to support the area(s) that provided their care.
But all too often, an executor will reach out with notification of a legacy gift, and the only language used in the legal document refers to the gift being for "Loma Linda University, Children's Hospital, or the Medical Center." When this happens, it is very difficult to know how the donor truly intended for the use of their gift. That is why it is important that we have the opportunity to speak to donors as they make their plans. In many cases, we work with the donor to draft a gift agreement to spell out the details of a restricted/designated legacy gift. For example, anytime a gift is to be used for a specific naming of any sort, a gift agreement should be in place.
For those who are working on their plans or considering making changes, we encourage donors to be in conversation with the Office of Planned Giving, so your questions are answered ahead of time and your clear intent is known. We offer the basic language, provided below. Just know that we strongly encourage dialogue as plans are being made. This language will need to be refined if there are specific restrictions and/or designations for the use of the legacy gift.
"I hereby give___________% of my residuary estate to Loma Linda University [or Loma Linda University Medical Center, or Loma Linda University Children's Hospital], a California nonprofit religious corporation, of Loma Linda, California."
Restricted Bequests
If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure that your bequest will be used for a specific purpose, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your advisor to help you identify ways to give and meet your charitable objectives. We will also work with you and your advisor to craft language to accomplish your goals.
If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that your attorney include the following provision to give Loma Linda University Health flexibility should it no longer be possible for Loma Linda University Health to use your gift as you originally intended:
Contact Us
Please contact us if you have any questions about how to make a bequest to Loma Linda University Health or to request any additional information that might be helpful to you and your attorney as you consider making a bequest to us.
If you have included a bequest for Loma Linda University Health in your estate plan, please contact us to let us know. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.