Order of Magnitude: Our Legacy Giving Society
Together, let’s build a legacy that will drive exponential change and shape the course of science and technology for generations to come.
Membership in the Order of Magnitude, our legacy giving society, reflects the indelible legacy you choose to have on the foundation with an initial investment now that will have an outsized impact on the Hertz Community for many years to come.
A legacy gift ensures the Hertz Foundation continues to identify and support the most exceptional young minds in our nation. Our community of extraordinary Hertz Fellows relies on your generosity to accelerate groundbreaking research and strengthen our nation’s security and global leadership.
Benefits of Joining the Order of Magnitude
- Leave a legacy: Legacy gifts allow you to have a lasting impact on a cause you care about, even if you aren’t able to make a large gift during your lifetime.
- Tax benefits: Planned gifts can provide tax benefits, such as avoiding capital gains taxes and estate tax exemptions.
- Financial flexibility: Planned giving allows you to continue to use your assets until you no longer need them.
- Stable revenue source: Legacy gifts can be a reliable source of income for nonprofits, allowing them to budget ahead and build a buffer against economic turbulence.
Ways to Give
Bequests Through Your Will or Trusts
You can designate an asset, amount, or percentage of your estate to the Hertz Foundation. Simply include the following language in your will or trust: "I bequeath to the Hertz Foundation (Tax Identification 36-2411723) the sum of $X or X% of my estate."
Gifts of Retirement Assets
Consider naming the Hertz Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement account(s). This is an easy and tax-wise way to include us in your estate plans. By doing so, the Foundation, as a 501c3 organization, will not pay taxes on the distribution, which reduces income taxes on your estate. Contact your retirement account manager or complete an online form to update your beneficiaries.
Donor-Advised Fund
If you have a donor-advised fund (DAF), you may: Allocate all or part of the DAF’s assets to the Hertz Foundation upon your passing. Continue making annual contributions through your DAF after your lifetime.
Gifts of Life Insurance
You can designate the Hertz Foundation as the beneficiary of an existing or new life insurance policy, allowing you to make a substantial contribution without requiring a large cash outlay.
Charitable Gift Annuities
Convert underperforming assets into a charitable gift annuity. This option allows you, or a designated annuitant, to receive income during your lifetime, with the remainder going to the Hertz Foundation after your passing.
Charitable Lead Trusts
Establish a charitable lead trust that provides income to the Hertz Foundation for a set period. Afterward, the remaining assets will be distributed to family members or other heirs according to your wishes.
Please Contact Us
Thank you for your interest in learning more about ways to make a legacy gift and joining others in the Order of Magnitude (OOM). Please call Amanda Shinholser, Director of Annual Giving and Development Operations at (925) 400-8656 or submit this Contact Us form.
If you have already included the Hertz Foundation in your estate plans, please let us know. On behalf of the Hertz Foundation, thank you for making the same investment as our founders, Fannie and John Hertz, through your own legacy gift that will support Hertz Fellows tackling our nation's and our world's greatest challenges well into the future.
More Ways to Give
Every gift to the Hertz Foundation fuels groundbreaking research and helps strengthen our nation's security and economic vitality. That's why we offer a range of opportunities to make it easy and convenient for you to make your donation.