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Gift in Your Will

Why might a gift in your will suit you?
  • It costs you nothing during your lifetime. This can be useful if you don’t have the ability to make a cash gift during your lifetime or if your net worth is tied up in assets.
  • It’s revocable, so you can update your will if circumstances change.
  • It’s easy to do. You can simply include a sentence in your will. If you already have a will or living trust, you can easily amend it with a codicil.
  • Your provision in your will could reduce a tax burden on your estate or your heirs.
Key factors to consider:
  • Your family and loved ones come first – we understand that! You can specify a contingency such as making sure a spouse or loved one has predeceased you before the gift is distributed.
  • You can specify whether to gift Wistar:
    • a specific dollar amount, or
    • a percentage of the totality or remainder of your estate.
  • You can designate your gift as:
    • unrestricted – giving Wistar the ability to use the gift where it is needed most, or
    • restricted – for a specific area of research or Wistar program that is most meaningful to you. Speak with the Development office about areas of need for perpetual funding.
  • Your gift can be:
    • expendable – giving Wistar the ability to use the gift as needed, once it is realized, or
    • endowed – Wistar will invest the gift and spend a portion of the income it generates each year.
Fund a gift in your will with:
  • cash
  • appreciated securities
  • closely held stock
  • tangible personal property
  • real estate
Take action today
  • Contact Brittany McCrimmon at 215.495.6856 or bmccrimmon@wistar.org to discuss the different options for including Wistar in your will or estate plan.
  • Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.
  • If you include Wistar in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.
    • Legal name: The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology
    • Address: 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
    • Federal tax ID (EIN) number: 23-6434390
Sample language for your will or codicil
Unrestricted gift in will

“I give to The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, a nonprofit organization currently located at 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA, $_________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted charitable use and purpose.”

Gift in will restricted for a specific purpose

“I give to The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, a nonprofit organization currently located at 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA, $_________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property]. This gift should be used for [state purpose] if and so long as The Wistar Institute determines that the need exists. If The Wistar Institute shall determine at the outset or at a later time that the need does not exist, or no longer exists or for some reason it is not possible (or prudent) to administer my gift as originally intended, then The Wistar Institute may, in its sole and uncontrolled discretion, direct the use of my bequest for a purpose related as closely as possible to that stated above.”

Contingent gift in will

If [insert name] is not living at the time of my demise, I give to The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, a nonprofit organization currently located at 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA, $ _______ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted charitable use and purpose or  for the support of [state purpose] if and so long as The Wistar Institute determines that the need exists. If The Wistar Institute shall determine at the outset or at a later time that the need does not exist, or no longer exists or for some reason it is not possible (or prudent) to administer my gift as originally intended, then The Wistar Institute may, in its sole and uncontrolled discretion, direct the use of my bequest for a purpose related as closely as possible to that stated above.”

Already included Wistar in your estate plan?

Let us know.
Why let us know?

When you notify us of your Legacy Gift intention using this form, we are able to thank you up front, recognize your incredible provision during your lifetime, and keep you informed on Wistar’s work in a manner that is meaningful to you. It also enables us to document and honor your wishes.

While you can choose to make an irrevocable Legacy Gift to Wistar if you wish, signing this intention form does not make your Legacy Gift provision legally binding. It is a way of sharing your thoughtful intention with us and you can revoke or make changes to your plans at any time.

While we know that considering what people and what causes you wish to provide for after you have passed is a deeply private matter, we hope you will give us the opportunity to pay tribute to you for including Wistar in those plans. We are honored to recognize our Legacy donors in Wistar’s 1892 Society.