My Benevolent Wishes™ is born of the desire to give life to the often unspoken desire of individuals to include gifts in their estates in support of charities, causes and beliefs beyond the borders of their family.

My Benevolent Wishes™ is the offshoot of the notion of MODEST Philanthropy™ – that small gifts make up the majority of giving each year to nonprofit causes and therefore should be encouraged at all stages of life, including when planning how to give away one’s estate at death. My Benevolent Wishes™ gives voice to regular folks’ final charitable intentions, reflecting their lifetime interests and passions. In planning their estates, people should be freed up to give hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars that will never be missed by their heirs, heirs who have no claim to what their parents, relatives or friends want to give away for greater good in any event.

Many people think that an estate gift to charity will go unnoticed unless is it sizable, major, magnificent – in a word, philanthropic. It is, after all, a onetime gift, or at least their last gift – shouldn’t it be significant? There is no reason to think so.

Thousands upon thousands of charities depend on modest contributions to survive and thrive. There is no substitute for the humble efforts of many donors to express their love, their belief and their devotion to their favorite causes. The Bill-and-Melinda-Gates of the world are famous for their generosity, but they pale in comparison to the mass of average Americans giving faithfully in support of the important work social, religious, educational and environmental organizations at home and abroad.

Therefore, give. Give in major way if you want to, but start by giving modestly.

Feel free to download and use the form called “My Benevolent Wishes™” . Update it when you wish. We recommend mentioning your plans to your spouse, a child or two, or even with the charity.

Tell your favorite charity about My Benevolent Wishes™, so that they can use it as a resource in annual giving drives or in planned giving campaigns.

Most of all, enjoy giving, and enjoy thinking of others giving in your memory. Blessings on your gifts and on you.

To learn more about giving and philanthropy, please read my articles:

• MODEST Philanthropy
• MODEST Philanthropy and Satisfying the Need to Give