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Create your legacy by exploring the many ways you can support our mission well into the future by joining the Y's Heritage Club.

The YMCA of San Francisco recognizes the generous individuals who are leaving a legacy commitment to the Y through their wills, retirement plans, and other planned-giving arrangements. A gift to the Y's endowment ensures the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility endure and programs will positively impact our community for generations to come.

Designate the YMCA of San Francisco as a beneficiary in the following ways:

- Bequest provision in your will or revocable trust
- Life Insurance Policy
- Charitable Remainder Trust & Charitable Gift Annuity
- Retirement Plans
- Real Estate
- Outright Gift (Cash or Securities)
- Memorial or Honorary Gift
Connect with us today to get started.

Ensure a Brighter Future

"As a member of the Heritage Club, I know that my gift impacts future generations of leaders and allows the YMCA of San Francisco to expand programs that build character and teach important core values to our youth." - Mel Lee, Heritage Club Member

Create a legacy through a planned or major gift

Charitable gifts help you meet your current philanthropic goals, lower your tax exposure and extend your generosity well into the future. A gift made now helps shield your current income from higher tax levels and allows you to realize the gratification of seeing your gift in action during your lifetime. A planned gift through your estate can also protect your assets, provide for your family, and even guarantee you income for life.

What is the Heritage Club?

The Heritage Club is a group of highly engaged individuals who have made a legacy commitment in support of the YMCA of San Francisco Endowment. By their current or planned gift, members ensure that the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility endure and that Y programs will positively impact our community for generations to come.


Why should I give?

The Y is a diverse organization of men, women and children joined together by a shared commitment to strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We believe lasting personal and social change can only come about when we all work together. That's why at the Y, strengthening community is our cause.

The Y is for youth development, because we believe that all kids deserve opportunities to discover who they are and what they can achieve. That's why, through the Y, youth today are cultivating the values, skills, and relationships that lead to positive behaviors, better health, and educational achievement. Every day, 10,000 children come to the Y to receive support and resources to learn, grow and thrive. Your gift helps assure working families have enrichment options to assure their children learn, grow and thrive in school. Gifts from donors like you help grow teens into leaders by modeling, teaching and challenging them to graduate from high school, enroll in college and play a vital role in the community.

The Y is for healthy living, improving the nation's health and well-being. Every year, 18,000 households hold Y membershps to improve their health and well being. The Y brings individuals and families together, to pursue good health and foster connections through fitness, sports, fun, and shared interests. Your gift will impact our nation's obesity epidemic with concerted support for children, teens, adults and seniors.

The Y is for social responsibility, giving back and providing support to our neighbors. With your gift to our endowment, the Y can continue to address our most critical needs for the next 160 years. Every year, 2,210 passionate volunteers and 1700 dedicated employees help diverse populations of our Bay Area community develop skills healthier lives and communities. Your gift forms a legacy to engage volunteers well into the future to help change our neighborhoods for the better with leadership opportunities for people of all ages and all walks of life.

Changing lives for tomorrow's world

Effective ways to create impact with your philanthropy

You may be able to take advantage of substantial tax savings and other important benefits through a variety of current and deferred gifts.

Outright Gift (Cash, Securities)

  • Maximize current income tax savings with a gift now
  • Provide likely capital gains savings

Memorial/Honorary Gift**

  • Remember a loved one forever with a contribution to the Endowment
  • Mark a special personal achievement a donation to the Endowment Fund

Bequest in your will

  • Ensure that assets are available during life yet makes possible a substantial charitable gift in memory of an individual
  • Create possible estate tax savings

Charitable Remainder Trust & Charitable Gift Annuity**

  • Provides a lifetime income to the donor or other person
  • Creates income tax savings in the year of the gift
  • Allows capital gains, estate and gift tax savings
  • Provides for tax-free sale of assets

LIFE INSURANCE POLICY WITH THE YMCA OF SAN FRANCISCO AS BENEFICIARY

  • Makes possible a large future gift
  • Provides current income tax savings

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I or our family become a member of the Heritage Club?

Giving can be accomplished through several vehicles that provide substantial tax savings and other important benefits. You can make an outright gift to the Endowment Fund or choose to consider a planned or deferred gift. Most people make a gift through their will.

What types of gifts could I give?

Options are available to meet individual circumstances. The majority of gifts are received in these forms:

  • Current gifts of cash or cash equivalents
    • Can be gifts in honor of or in memory of family members
  • Planned gifts including
    • Bequests through wills
    • Naming the Y as a beneficiary of retirement plans
    • Naming the Y as a beneficiary of insurance policies
    • Living trusts
    • Charitable trusts

If I cannot give a large gift, will a small gift really make a difference?

We know that everyone has different personal circumstances. Although we reserve the Heritage Club distinction for gifts of $10,000 or more, every gift makes a difference. Gifts designated to the Y endowment fund go into a segregated fund where the principal of donor-designated gifts is invested, held in perpetuity and only the interest and return on the investments is used for annual support.

Where to Begin


We would be grateful for the opportunity to speak with you

1. Contact our staff to learn more about joining the Heritage Club.

2. Attend one of our Heritage Club events or an estate planning workshop.

3. Speak with a professional in tax law about the benefits of including charitable gifts as a part of your estate plan. We can provide a list of resources referred by the Northern California Planned Giving Council.

Questions?

Please fill out the contact form above. You may also contact Matt Hitchcock at 415-281-6766 or [email protected]

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