In 2011 the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF) received bequests totaling nearly $1.2 million.  Five (5) individuals included provisions in their wills leaving a gift to the community through the NCCF.  The bequests ranged from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Through the generosity of these community members, each and every year, in perpetuity, the bequests will provide grants to local charities, educational scholarships and other community enhancements. 

“We are grateful that these remarkable individuals chose to remember the community through the NCCF” says NCCF Executive Director Diane Hannum.  “Their specific gifts will help to maintain a local youth camp and a historic community, as well as support general community grantmaking.   Anyone can be a philanthropist by leaving a gift, small or large, to the community through his or her will or estate plan.”

The citizens of NorthernChautauquaCounty give generously to support the community.  Nationally, while an overwhelming number contributes to charity each year, only a small percentage plans a charitable bequest.  A bequest is a gift of property or an asset to a beneficiary as defined in a will or estate plan. Types of bequests include cash, real or personal property, marketable securities, life insurance, retirement accounts and charitable gift annuities.

Long-time NCCF supporters Rick and Michele Johnson put the impact of a bequest in simple terms, “There is no minimum amount required.  Imagine the possibilities if everyone in Northern Chautauqua left a small bequest to the NCCF.  Not only do you create a legacy through your bequest, you also have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift will be impacting the community for generations to come.”

Of those who do make charitable bequests, over 90% do so because of their desire to support the charity.  In the years ahead, over 10 trillion dollars nationally will be inherited by the baby boomers generation from their parents.  It is estimated that only 1 in 5 will pass a portion of this wealth on to charitable organizations.  Experts believe that more people would leave a bequest to their favorite charity if they were informed of the ease of doing so and of the benefits.