By: Joanna Gupta, Major Gifts & Community Partnerships Strategist
Retirement planning often begins with practical questions. Where will you live? How will you spend your time? What resources will you need? But there’s another question to consider: What would you like to make possible for others when you pass away?
October 19 marks the start of National Estate Planning Awareness Week, a good time to reflect on the people, places, and causes that have mattered to you over the years and how you want to support them in the future. Legacy giving offers one way to do that.
At FiftyForward, making a legacy gift can help ensure that older adults across Middle Tennessee continue to have safe places to build friendships, discover new interests, stay active, and receive essential support needed to thrive at every stage of the aging journey.
Planning for the Future
Tennessee’s population is changing. According to projections cited in Governor Bill Lee’s 2024 State of the State Address, nearly one-fourth of Tennesseans will be over age 60 by 2030. That means more of us will be thinking about what it means to age well as we approach and live through retirement.
Preparing for that future means recognizing both the possibilities and the challenges of aging. Someone may be looking for a place to play music, play games, or meet friends, while another may need nourishing meals delivered to their home. Others may need help finding care options, transportation, or other support, like adult day services that give family caregivers time to rest and recharge.
Legacy gifts help FiftyForward plan for that future and help make sure those opportunities are sustained for the next person who needs them.
What Is Legacy Giving?
Legacy giving, also called planned giving, means arranging a future charitable gift through a will, living trust, retirement account, life insurance policy, or another asset.
For example, you might leave a specific amount or a percentage of your estate to FiftyForward or name the organization as a beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy. A bequest lets you arrange a future gift without donating during your lifetime.
For many people, estate planning is first and foremost about taking care of the people they love. A legacy gift does not have to change that. Your plans can reflect both your commitment to loved ones and the causes that matter to you.
An estate-planning professional can help you consider options that fit your circumstances and wishes.
A Personal Reason to Give
For Donelson Station member Ralph Bristol, his experience with FiftyForward led him to include the organization in his estate plans. After retiring, he came to FiftyForward looking for anything to do, from playing pool to socializing. And that’s what he found. Ralph built close friendships, found renewed purpose, and discovered opportunities to contribute through member leadership opportunities and activities.
Legacy giving is Ralph’s way of expressing gratitude for the community he found at FiftyForward and helping ensure others have the same opportunity.
His story reminds us that a legacy gift can grow from something deeply personal: a place that welcomed you, relationships that mattered, or support that made a difference when you needed it most.
Your Place in the Fountain Society
Perhaps you have had an experience similar to Ralph’s. Like him, when you include FiftyForward in your estate plans, you become part of our Fountain Society. We welcome gifts of any size, and members receive program updates and invitations to special gatherings, giving them another way to stay connected to the future their gift makes possible.
To read Ralph’s full story, click here. To learn more about the Fountain Society, please get in touch with Joanna Gupta at jgupta@fiftyforward.org or 615-743-3412.
