Lyre Tree Society
“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that in itself is a choice.” -- William James
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Some years ago while enjoying “Tamasha,” a yearly gathering of the Woodstock class of ’35 and others, Margery Miller Mills and her classmates decided to do something special for Woodstock. Since most classmates were retired and on fixed incomes, they were unsure of how they could financially help the school, but Margery had an idea. “Why don’t we all find a way to remember the benefits of our Woodstock education through our wills? We will finally be able to give back to Woodstock some of what Woodstock gave to us.” And so the Lyre Tree Society was formed. Since then, many alumni have notified FWS that they are remembering Woodstock and supporting its educational aspirations when making decisions about their financial and estate planning.
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The Lyre Tree Society is named after the beloved tree, now gone, that overlooked the Doon Valley on the Woodstock School Campus. Membership in the Lyre Tree Society is open to anyone who simply notifies FWS that he or she had taken formal steps to support FWS through their estate or gift planning. Your membership in the Lyre Tree Society will inspire your fellow alumni and friends to take steps to ensure the stability benefit to Woodstock School for now and in the future.
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Planned Giving, also referred to as gift planning, may be defined as a method of supporting non-profits and charities that enables philanthropic individuals or donors to make larger gifts than they could make from their income. While some planned gifts provide a life-long income to the donor, others use estate and tax planning techniques to provide for charity and other heirs in ways that maximize the gift and/or minimize its impact on the donor's estate. Below are some suggested vehicles for making a Planned Gift. Please consult your attorney or financial advisor for further details on these gift vehicles.
Gifts That Pay You Back
- Charitable Gift Annuity – Immediate: It provides a fixed payout to you and significant tax benefits.
- Charitable Gift Annuity – Deferred: Recommended for younger alumni to build retirement earnings for the future.
- Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust: It provides a fixed-income payout to you upon contribution of a large gift.
- Charitable Remainder Unitrust: It provides a flexible source of retirement income upon contribution of a large gift.
Gifts That Benefit FWS In The Future
- Bequest: Naming FWS as a beneficiary in your will does not affect your cash flow during your lifetime.
- Gifts of Retirement Plans: The balance of your retirement plan may be worth more when donated to FWS than to your heir.
- Gifts Of Life Insurance Policy: Make FWS the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or contribute to FWS a paid up policy that you no longer need.
Friends of Woodstock School, its staff, representatives and board members, do not offer legal or financial advice. We strongly urge prospective donors to consult with their attorney, financial advisor, estate planning professional, accountant or other appropriate professional before making any material decisions based on information we provide through this website, or printed materials or other written or verbal sources.
David Wheeler
Friends of Woodstock School
dwheeler@fwsfoundation.org
Phone: (425)353-8422