BEQUESTS

The Friends Legacy Society

Take pride in these historic parks and leave a gift in your will for their future.

The Friends Legacy Society honors those donors who have included the Friends in their planned and estate gifts. Through their thoughtful generosity, these donors join many others from the past who have created a legacy to help ensure the preservation and beauty of the Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall for future generations. If you decide to include the Friends in your will or other estate plans, please let us know so that we can welcome you into the Friends Legacy Society. You may also choose to be an anonymous member.

A Charitable Bequest to the Friends of the Public Garden

Remembering the Friends with a bequest in a will or trust is the simplest and most common way for individuals to leave their own legacy, and to sustain a cherished and vital part of their community. Examples of several forms of bequests are below. You can include a bequest when you make or revise your will or simply add a codicil to an existing will.

An Outright Bequest

Your gift comes directly to the Friends when your estate is settled. It may be:

A specific dollar amount
A specific asset (securities, real estate, works of art)
All or a percentage of the “residuary estate”.

A Residuary Bequest

You designate that the Friends receives all or a percentage of your estate after the payment of cash and specific bequests and all estate-related expenses.

A Contingent Bequest

You make a primary bequest to a relative or other beneficiary, with the contingency that if that relative is not living at the time of your death, the bequest will pass to the Friends.

A Trust by Will

You make a “testamentary” trust arrangement in your will that provides income for your spouse or other beneficiary for their lives or a period of years, after which the assets pass to the Friends.

SUGGESTED LANGUAGE FOR BEQUESTS

When preparing a bequest provision for the Friends, your attorney will need to know the legal or corporate name of the organization. It is “Friends of the Public Garden, Inc.” Your advisor or attorney may want to know that the Friends is a 501(c)3 organization and the tax identification number, which is 23-7451432.

Here is sample language for an outright, unrestricted cash bequest or a percentage of your estate to the Friends:

I give the Friends of the Public Garden, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, ______________________________dollars ($__________).

I give the Friends of the Public Garden Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, __________percent (___%) of my estate.

The information provided on this page is not intended to be legal or tax advice. Please contact your financial advisor or attorney if you are considering a bequest in support of the Friends of the Public Garden. We would welcome the opportunity to work with you and your financial advisor to tailor a gift that serves your interests and goals.

For questions or more information, please contact Lynn Page Flaherty at lynn@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

“I have lived on Beacon Hill for more than fifty years, so I have had the privilege of enjoying our three historic parks for decades. I love walking in the parks, especially the Public Garden. Its beauty at all seasons is a constant delight, and I cherish the moments I spend there.

“From my many years on the board, I know that the Friends is a strong and stable organization, and I have seen the vital role it plays in caring for the Common, the Garden, and the Mall. When I revised my will two years ago, I added a bequest to the Friends because I want my support to continue after I’m gone. It is an honor to be chair of the Legacy Society, and I look forward to welcoming new members.”