Jane Burns
Her gift: A life insurance policy
Gifts to the special people in your life are in all shapes and sizes. As are gifts to the Elkhart County Community Foundation. Among the many forms of charitable giving is that of life insurance. In addition to contributing a financial gift during your lifetime, gifting a life insurance policy is an affordable way to make an important contribution to ECCF after your death.
Jane Burns, director of the Midwest Museum of American Art, co-founded this impressive asset to downtown Elkhart in 1978. To help ensure its successful continuance, Jane has named ECCF as the sole beneficiary of her policy, transferring its ownership to us.
“The ECCF has in place a good financial team,” Jane says. “Its leadership comes from all areas of professional life. Financing the health of your organization through ECCF is a safeguard that gives me great piece of mind.”
In addition to Jane, several of the museum’s trustees have gifted their policies to help ensure MMAA’s stability after they are no longer actively involved. “Your gift can further increase when you make an annual donation to cover the expense of the premium,” Jane adds with that ever-present twinkle in her eye.
In her opinion, gifting life insurance is as original and forward-thinking as creating the MMAA on the corner of Main and Marion Streets in the former St. Joseph Valley Bank building was almost three decades ago. “I’m not a native of Elkhart, but I’ve been here 40 years and always will be. Three of my four children and three grandchildren live in Elkhart County. I want to leave Elkhart a better place in which to live.”
Catherine Wells-Bentz
Advantages of a gift of life insurance:
- Charitable deduction on computed current value of paid-up policy
- Annual premiums tax deductible
- Annual premiums paid to ECCF; ECCF pays insurance company
- Reduces size of your estate
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