The Forever Friends Society

......for kindness begets kindness evermore
                                                     -Sophocles 

The Potter League's shelter was built and our endowment created by bequests and other gifts thoughtfully planned by animal lovers and friends of the League. Our shelter is the basis of all the Potter League's activities and has been a temporary home for thousands of dogs and cats. The endowment and its annual revenues are responsible for the Potter League's financial stability. Gifts conveyed to the League under one's will are used to insure our future, provide unwanted animals with the best housing and care possible, and continue to make a humane impact in our community. Bequests enable the Potter League to forever make a difference in the lives of animals and the people who love them.

Who Can Give?

Bequests and other types of planned gifts may sound complex and only applicable to the very wealthy. Actually, the concept of giving gifts that are funded by assets rather than current income is not complicated. If you own property, have a pension plan or life insurance, you have assets and you can consider making planned gifts to the Potter League. Your lawyer, a trust officer of a bank, your accountant, or your life insurance agent can advise you and draft legal documents that put the gift and your good intentions into effect.

Making a Bequest Intention

You may choose to make a bequest as the most direct way of ensuring your perpetual support of the Potter League for Animals. An outright bequest is the simplest method and transfers specific property or assets directly to the League according to the terms of your will. You may, however, donate a percentage of your estate. You may also bequeath the residue of your estate - the property available after other terms of the will have been satisfied.

Under almost all circumstances, a bequest to the Potter League for Animals will do the most good if it is given without restrictions. We may face issues in the future that neither you nor we can now foresee. Or a need that is urgent now may be fully met a few years from now. If you have stipulated that your bequest be used only for certain stated purposes, we may find ourselves unable to use your money for these purposes.

If you choose to restrict your bequest for the establishment of a fund for a specific purpose - such as the spaying or neutering of animals, building maintenance, equipment, humane education work - we ask that specified purposes be described as broadly as possible. It is sometimes advisable to provide an "escape" clause so that those who administer the League's affairs in the distant future are left free to make use of the fund in the best interest of the Potter League and the community under changed conditions.

There are other ways to give such as Life Insurance Policies,- Annuity Trusts , Unitrusts and Retained Life Estates. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Christie Smith, the Potter League's Executive Director, if you have any questions. Christie can be reached at 401 846-8276 or via e-mail Christies@potterleague.org
Your lawyer or accountant can also be of great help.

The animals and people at the Potter League are always extremely grateful for donations and gifts of any size. By making a bequest intention to the Potter League for Animals in your will, you join others who have assured that animals will be protected forever and become a member of the Forever Friends Society.