Planned Giving

Leave a Legacy at St. Mary's Health Care System

By working with St. Mary's, Sacred Heart, or Good Samaritan, you can enjoy the process of creating your legacy with confidence, knowing you're supporting an organization that has been a stable member of our community for many years. 

More Benefits: 

• You leave a legacy to be remembered
• You lessen the burden of taxes on your family. 

How do I make a bequest? 

A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an advisor, you can include language in your will or trust specifying that a gift be made to family, friends, or St. Mary's Health Care system as part of your estate plan. A bequest can be made in several ways: 

1. You can gift a specific dollar amount or an asset
2. You can gift a percentage of your estate
3. You can gift from the balance or residue of your estate
4. You can make a beneficiary designation of certain assets

Include Language -  In your will or trust, designating the "St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation" as a beneficiary of your assets. Contact us so we can coordinate with you on the appropriate documentation to ensure your gift is used in accordance with your wishes when received. 

Retirement Plan Assets - Complete a beneficiary designation form provided by your retirement plan custodian. Designate the "St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation" as the beneficiary. Submit the form to your retirement plan custodian. 

IRA Rollover - Individuals aged 70 1/2 years old or older can transfer up to $100,000 per year to the St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation from an IRA to satisfy the required minimum distribution for the year. 

Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) - Transfer your cash or other assets, such as stock, to "St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation" in exchange for fixed payments for you and/or someone else you choose each year for your lifetime(s). The remainder of the assets support St. Mary's or Good Samaritan. 

Please contact us for more information: 

Jennifer Messer
Chief Development Officer
Jennifer.Messer@stmarysathens.org

Types of Bequests

If you are considering making an outright bequest to St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation Health, we recommend the following language: 

Specific Bequest: A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset, such as real estate, a car, other property, or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation. 

Language to use in your Estate Plans: 

"I hereby give, devise and bequeath ______ and no/100 dollars ($Dollars) to St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 1230 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30606, Federal Tax ID #58-2544232 (for St. Mary's Foundation) and Federal Tax ID #81-1660088 (for Good Samaritan Foundation)'s general use and purpose."

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 St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation. 

"I hereby give, devise and bequeath ____ percent (___%) of my total estate, determined as the date of my death, to St. Mary's or Good Samaritan Foundation, a nonprofit organization located at 1230 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30606, Federal Tax ID #58-2544232 (for St. Mary's Foundation) and Federal Tax ID #81-1660088 (for Good Samaritan Foundation)'s general use and purpose."