Your donations serve as a lasting tribute and helps WRHS further our mission of making the tangible history of Northeast Ohio accessible to everyone.
Details
Through a planned gift you can join other passionate supporters to ensure access to the museums collections, exhibitions, and educational programs for visitors from all walks of life for generations to come. There are many ways to leave a planned gift to WRHS, and many come with significant tax benefits that encourage philanthropy. Every donor who takes the generous step of a planned gift becomes a member of the WRHS Guardian Society, an esteemed group that guards our collective history!
Contact: Christie Gound, Advancement Manager at 216-721-5722 X 1501 or email cgound@wrhs.org
Gift in Will
Making a legacy gift in your will is the simplest way to make a gift to the museum that has a lasting impact. The gift can take many forms, such as naming the museum for a specific amount, a set percentage of the total value of your estate, or the remainder of your estate after you have provided for your family. Your charitable bequest is 100 percent deductible for estate tax purposes.
Give through Life Insurance
If you have a life insurance policy that no longer fits your needs please consider donating it to WRHS, either by naming WRHS as the owner, donating a paid policy, or naming WRHS as the beneficiary but not the owner. Depending on the type of policy donated you may receive an immediate income tax deduction and be able to deduct any future premium payments on the policy.
Retirement Plan Designation
A retirement plan can be a tax-efficient and simple way of including WRHS in your planned giving. If left to anyone other than a spouse, retirement account assets may be subject to significant taxation, since inherited assets of retirement plans can be subject to both estate and income taxes. As a tax-exempt organization, WRHS will generally receive the full amount of the plan's value.
If you are 70 ½ or older can also take advantage of the IRA rollover laws to give up to $111,000 today as a non-taxable event that counts toward your required minimum distribution.
Guardian Society
Please let us know if you have taken the generous step of remembering Western Reserve Historical Society. Everyone who shares their intention to make a gift in will to WRHS is invited to join the Guardian Society which honors the benefactors who support the future of WRHS. Members receive recognition in the annual report and are invited to special events.
Guardian Society Member Stories
Jim Walker
"The history of Cleveland Ohio is also a big part of our nations history. I was lucky to have grown up in Cleveland and experience the heyday of downtown, and my family's many trips to Euclid Beach Amusement Park which was also enjoyed by millions of other people thru the years. Two of my biggest interests in the last 40 years have been preserving the memories of Euclid Beach Park and my love of antique cars, which of course is the other reason why I am so fond of the museum. The many changing exhibits also keep young people coming back over and over again.
Making even a small yearly contribution makes you feel like you are helping to preserve Cleveland’s history and those contributions all add up to keeping this wonderful museum operating. I have included WRHS in my estate planning and I encourage other people to do the same, if possible."
Betty Kemper
"Because I believe in the mission and the Western Reserve Historical Society’s importance in the future, I made it a top priority to include a gift to them in my estate planning process."
Peter Kelley
"The strength of a city like Cleveland is defined in part by the quality of its cultural institutions and the Community support of those organizations. I believe that WRHS plays an important role in preserving and protecting this history of Cleveland and in creating memorable experiences for visitors and members. WRHS has so much to offer through the Library, Crawford, Cleveland History Center, Archives and Hale Farm & Village. There is something to experience and learn for every generation of our community and the many visitors who get a view of the past and present state of North East Ohio by visiting one of the WRHS locations. I am proud to support the mission and purpose of WRHS both through annual giving and planned giving and I encourage others to consider doing the same in order to maintain the strength and quality of this great organization."
Legacy Society Member Stories
Edith Hirsch
"As a lifetime Clevelander, I am pleased that WRHS is here to preserve, protect and make its resources concerning all facets of the history of the region available to all. At its 2 major locations, the Cleveland History Center and Hale Farm and Village, visitors can be transported back in time while learning about north eastern Ohio. The programs and special exhibits at WRHS further enhance the learning experience for all generations. The strength and vitality of a community can be measured in part by the quality of its cultural and not for profit institutions. University Circle, the location of the headquarters of WRHS, is an unparalled location.
I hope you will join me in supporting the mission of WRHS to maintain and grow this vital institution."
Raymond Weeden
"Growing up in Cleveland I have distinct memories of school field trips to visit the Western Reserve Historical Society, those memories however are connected to the historic buildings, exhibits and of course the fantastic Crawford Auto & Aviation Museum.
In my adult years I have come to learn of the true importance of the Western Reserve Historical Society and the valuable history resources collected and maintained by the Society. As long as Cleveland’s oldest existing cultural institution (WRHS) continues to place value on collecting, maintaining, and sharing the diverse history of the Western Reserve and its resources , my family will be involved and support this great work."
Virginia Dawson
"The library of the Western Reserve Historical Society is a trove of immense value to me as an historian of local history. For most of my career I have focused on the industrial and business history of Cleveland and northeast Ohio, in addition to a robust acquisition program in areas of increasing interest, such as Jewish and African American history. Thanks to the efforts of John Grabowski and others, the library has been building a collection documenting Cleveland’s ethnic and labor history. Ann Sindelar has done a great job through the years managing access to the archives—not just for professional historians like me, but also for students preparing for History Day. The collection is a treasure, useful now and for future generations. I am proud to support WRHS."
Lillian Emmons
"I am so happy to support WRHS because of its rich collection of Cleveland and regional history. You can look up any era you choose, first by perusing the website with listings of holdings including printed material, photographs, paintings, furniture, tools and equipment, clothing and then by coming in and researching so much more.
I hope you will join me in supporting the museum so it has the resources to continue preserving collections of the past and keep collecting for future generations. We can see today how important it is to have the true history with all the evidence so it cannot be distorted. We have that at WRHS so treasure it and let's keep it well funded. "
Questions?
Contact: Christie Gound, Advancement Manager at 216-721-5722 X 1501 or email cgound@wrhs.org
