Define Your Legacy
Your Values. Your Vision.
The Visionary Circle embraces the beauty of this place and its people by fortifying it for generations to come.
Through Spur, Visionary Circle members shape the future through generosity rooted in their values. Some have worked with us for years. Others are just beginning the conversation. What they share is a commitment through their charitable giving and estate plans to support the people, places, and causes that matter most to them.
Planning your legacy through Spur means having a partner that is committed to honoring your intentions and stewarding your generosity with care. Whether your giving is rooted here or reaches beyond, your gift will be thoughtfully structured and guided by your values and vision for the future.
Plans with Unique or Complex Assets
The simplest and most common way to create a lasting legacy.
Including Spur Community Foundation in your will, living trust, retirement account, life insurance policy, or beneficiary designation allows your generosity to continue supporting the people, places, and causes you care about long into the future.
Designate a Bequest to Spur
A charitable fund allows your generosity to continue beyond your lifetime while supporting the causes that matter most to you and your family. Whether your vision is broad or focused, a fund can provide an enduring source of support for generations to come.
Include Spur in Your Estate Plan
Some charitable plans involve appreciated real estate, closely held business interests, charitable trusts, or private foundations.
Our team works alongside your attorney, CPA, and financial advisor to help develop a charitable strategy that aligns with your financial and estate planning goals.
Working With Your Professional Advisors
Thoughtful charitable planning is often part of a broader financial and estate plan.
Spur regularly works alongside attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, and other trusted professionals to help ensure every charitable gift is structured to fulfill your intentions while complementing your overall planning goals.
Whether you already have an advisor or are just beginning the conversation, we are here to serve as your charitable giving partner.
Begin the Conversation
Creating a charitable legacy is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make. Whether your plans are already established or you are simply exploring possibilities, we are here to help.
We welcome the opportunity to learn about the causes you care about, answer your questions, and work alongside you and your professional advisors to create a plan that reflects your values and vision.
For more information or to schedule a free consultation, please contact our Donor Services Manager, Anna Parker, at 208.450.2608 or email anna@spurfoundation.org.
I’ve never believed in waiting to do good. Legacy giving is the one exception. While the gift will come later, the decision is made today—with everything you’ve built and learned, and come to believe and cherish, to ensure your values outlive you.
Tim Wolff, Visionary Circle Member
Are you a VISIONARY? Join the CIRCLE today!
If you have already included Spur in your estate plans, we would be honored to hear from you. Letting us know helps ensure we fulfill your intentions, and gives us the opportunity to thank you and recognize your generosity during your lifetime.
You are always welcome to keep your gift anonymous. All information you share is held in strict confidence and used only for planning and stewardship purposes.
For more information or to share your plans, please contact our Donor Services Manager, Anna Parker, at 208.450.2608 or email anna@spurfoundation.org.
Explore Estate Giving Options
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Do you want the place you love, and all it has given you, to endure?
A bequest is one of the simplest ways to make that happen. You include Spur in your will or living trust with a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder after providing for the people you love.
What it offers: You keep full control and use of your assets during your lifetime, and you can update your bequest at any time as circumstances or priorities evolve. A bequest may reduce estate taxes and creates a legacy rooted in your values.
How it works: Work with your attorney to include bequest language in your will or living trust. Spur will provide sample language to share with your legal advisor, whether your gift is for Spur’s general purposes or directed toward particular areas of interest.
Sample bequest language: I give Spur Community Foundation, Federal Tax ID 81-2375057, currently located at PO Box 6184, Ketchum, ID 83340, ____% (or $______) of my estate for its general purposes.
Next steps: Contact Anna Parker at 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org to request sample bequest language for your estate planning attorney.
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Would you like to make a meaningful future gift without changing your will?
Naming Spur as a full or partial beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other qualified retirement account is one of the most tax-efficient legacy gifts available. Qualified charities generally receive retirement assets tax free, while the same assets left to heirs may be subject to income taxes.
What it offers: A simple beneficiary designation form, no attorney required, and no change to your will. It may reduce taxes on your estate and heirs, costs nothing during your lifetime, and can be updated at any time.
How it works: Log in to your retirement account and complete the beneficiary designation form, or call your financial representative and request one by mail. After your lifetime, the account transfers to Spur outside of probate, and your estate receives a charitable deduction.
Next steps: Update your beneficiary designation online or by mail. There is no need to contact Spur, but letting us know allows us to thank you and to make sure your gift is honored exactly as you intend.
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Did you know your everyday financial accounts can carry your generosity forward?
Most bank accounts, certificates of deposit, and brokerage accounts allow you to name a beneficiary through a payable-on-death (POD) or transfer-on-death (TOD) designation.
What it offers: The same simplicity as a retirement account designation. No attorney, no change to your will, no cost during your lifetime. The account passes to Spur outside of probate, and you can update or revoke the designation at any time.
How it works: Ask your bank or brokerage for a POD or TOD beneficiary form, or complete one online. Name Spur Community Foundation as a full or partial beneficiary. You keep complete control and use of the account during your lifetime.
Next steps: Contact your bank or brokerage to request the form. Anna Parker is glad to provide Spur’s legal name, address, and Tax ID: 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org. If you name Spur, letting us know allows us to thank you and to make sure your gift is honored exactly as you intend.
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Do you have a life insurance policy that has outlasted its original purpose?
It can become a meaningful charitable gift. You may name Spur as a beneficiary of an existing policy, or transfer ownership of a policy you no longer need.
What it offers: A significant future gift at a relatively modest cost. Transferring ownership of a policy during your lifetime may also provide a charitable income tax deduction; the amount depends on the policy, and your insurance company and tax advisor can confirm it.
How it works: To name Spur as a beneficiary, simply update the beneficiary form through your insurance company. Gifts of policy ownership are accepted on a case-by-case basis, so please contact us first to talk through your situation.
Next steps: Update your beneficiary designation with your insurance company, or contact Anna Parker at 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org if you are considering transferring ownership of a policy. If you name Spur as a beneficiary, letting us know allows us to thank you and to make sure your gift is honored exactly as you intend.
Explore Charitable Fund Options
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Are you holding appreciated assets and looking for a way to generate income, reduce taxes, and give back?
A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is an irrevocable trust that provides you or your beneficiaries with income for life or a term of years. When the trust ends, the remaining assets come to Spur to support the causes you care about.
What it offers: Selling appreciated assets inside the trust may reduce capital gains taxes, you receive income from the trust, and you may receive a partial charitable deduction. The remainder becomes a lasting gift to the community.
How it works: You transfer appreciated assets to the trust. The trustee sells them inside the trust and pays you regular income. When the trust term ends, the remaining assets come to Spur.
Important: A CRT requires the guidance of an estate planning attorney and careful tax planning. This is a vehicle to build with your professional advisors, not on your own.
Next steps: Discuss a CRT with your estate planning attorney and financial advisor. When you are ready, your attorney can contact Spur to coordinate how the remainder gift is received and administered.
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Do your plans include both supporting the community and passing assets to family?
A Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) is an irrevocable trust that supports Spur or other charities for a set period, after which the remaining assets pass to your heirs, often with meaningful estate and gift tax savings.
What it offers: Steady support for the community during the trust term, potential reduction of the estate and gift taxes owed on assets passing to your heirs, and a structure that lets philanthropy and family legacy work together.
How it works: The trust directs income or a percentage of assets to charity for a period of time, often 10 to 20 years. When the term ends, the remaining assets pass to your heirs.
Important: A CLT requires the guidance of an estate planning attorney and careful tax planning.
Next steps: Discuss a CLT with your estate planning attorney and financial advisor. When you are ready, your attorney can contact Spur to coordinate distributions during the trust term.
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Has managing your family foundation become more work than joy?
Many families find that the annual tax filings, excise taxes, required payouts, and administrative overhead of a private foundation pull energy away from the giving itself.
What it offers: A Donor Advised Fund at Spur can serve as a simple, cost-efficient alternative or companion to a private foundation. You keep the family involvement and the name if you wish, while Spur carries the administration. Some families transfer their foundation’s assets to a fund at Spur entirely; others keep the foundation and use a Spur fund alongside it for local giving.
How it works: Terminating a private foundation into a fund at Spur is a well-established path, but it involves legal and tax steps that deserve professional guidance. Spur works with you and your advisors to structure the transition so your family’s charitable identity and intent carry forward.
Next steps: Contact Anna Parker at 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org to talk through what your family wants giving to feel like, and whether a fund at Spur can get you there.
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Would you like your charitable vision to stay active and responsive after your lifetime?
A testamentary Donor Advised Fund is created through your will or living trust and funded after your lifetime, combining the flexibility of ongoing grant recommendations with your estate plan.
What it offers: The people you name can recommend grants over time, keeping your giving alive and able to adapt as community needs change. It is a tax-efficient way to structure a legacy, and it invites family members to carry your generosity forward together.
How it works: Your will or trust establishes the fund. You designate who recommends grants after your lifetime: family members, professional advisors, a committee, or anyone else you choose. If no successor is named, Spur’s Board assumes responsibility for fulfilling your intent. Spur administers the fund and processes grants according to your stated charitable interests.
Next steps: Discuss this strategy with your estate planning attorney, and contact Anna Parker at 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org to explore whether a testamentary DAF fits your vision.
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Would you like your generosity to strengthen this community for generations?
An endowed fund is invested for the long term, with a portion of the returns distributed each year to support your charitable interests, indefinitely if you wish.
What it offers: Permanent impact. Your gift grows over time, annual distributions support the causes you care about year after year, and the fund can carry your name or honor someone important to you.
How it works: You establish the fund, and the principal is invested according to Spur’s investment policy. Each year, a portion of the returns is distributed to your designated charitable interests. You can choose perpetuity, or set a sunset date at which the remaining principal is distributed and the fund closes.
Next steps: Contact Anna Parker at 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org to discuss endowed fund options and how to structure the fund to match your vision.
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Do your assets include real estate, a closely held business, or other property you would like to turn into a charitable gift?
Spur accepts these gifts on a case-by-case basis. They are complex assets, and Spur’s due diligence ensures each gift can be administered responsibly and put to charitable use.
What Spur evaluates: Whether the property or interest can be held, managed, or sold in a way that preserves its charitable value. Assets that can be readily sold are generally the best fit.
Other assets in this category: Tangible personal property such as art, collectibles, or equipment may also be considered on the same case-by-case basis. Some donors ask about a retained life estate, deeding a home to charity now while continuing to live in it for life; this too begins with a conversation with Anna and your advisors.
Next steps: Contact Anna Parker at 208.450.2608 or anna@spurfoundation.org as early in your planning as possible, with basic information about the asset: location, ownership structure, approximate value, and any liens or encumbrances. Spur will work with you and your advisors to determine whether and how to structure the gift.
Explore Advanced Giving Strategies
