Lake Champlain Maritime Museum could be your beneficiary in:

Your Will. This can be arranged when you write or revise your will, or you can add a codicil at any time. You can bequeath a specific amount, a percentage, or a gift from the residual after other beneficiary gifts are made, and you can give real property. Your will should clearly state the legal name, EIN number, and address of our organization:

• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor Incorporated, 4472 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, VT 05491, EIN: 22-2570380

• Sample sentence to include in your will: “I give to Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor Incorporated, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 4472 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, VT 05491, or its successor thereto, __ [written amount, percentage, or residual of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose.”

You can also make the Museum the beneficiary of some or all of your assets in these ways:

Your IRA or other retirement accounts. While individuals who are beneficiaries of these accounts must pay income tax, nonprofits do not, so this might be a wise approach for you. You can often make these beneficiary changes directly online.

Your life insurance policy: If the policy is paid up or has cash value, you can donate the policy itself, or make the Museum a beneficiary.

Your Annuity or Advised Fund: The Museum can be a beneficiary of your Charitable Gift Annuity, Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT or CRUT), or your Donor Advised Fund.

You can also donate real property such as land, art, jewelry or other items. Please talk with the Museum about this if you are considering a gift of land, so we can determine if we could accept it. Such a gift can be included in your will or a codicil.

It is also possible to donate your home or second home, which could be arranged as a “life estate” meaning you could live in the house after donating it during your lifetime. This requires a conversation and contractual arrangements with the Museum.