Planned Giving   Revising Your Estate Plans Can Be Easy by Marc Blubaugh Many of you will recall that Columbus Audubon has established a Planned Giving Program in order to encourage members and non-members to include Columbus Audubon in their estate planning.  Charitable contributions can be made in an unrestricted fashion for the general use of Columbus Audubon or may be designated for deposit into one of the endowment funds established by the Board of Trustees: (1) the Education Fund, (2) the Conservation Fund, or (3) the Operating Fund.  Bequests and donations directed to the endowment funds will be invested and only the income from the investment will be spent.  In other words, a contribution to one of the endowment funds essentially provides a permanent benefit to Columbus Audubon. While you may have been intrigued by the opportunities that the Planned Giving Program offers, you may have also feared the cost and time that might be involved in revising your estate plan.  After all, estate planning is an activity that most individuals participate in only a few times during a lifetime.  However, you should be aware that amending or otherwise revising a document such as a will does not necessarily entail a significant expenditure of time or money. For instance, an individual who wishes to add Columbus Audubon as a beneficiary in his or her will can do so through preparation of a codicil.  A codicil is a document that does not revoke a will but, rather, changes, adds to, or subtracts from an existing will.  In other words, a codicil is essentially an amendment to a will.  A codicil can be as brief as a single line or two, but must be prepared and executed subject to the same legal requirements as the preparation and execution of the underlying will itself.  In Ohio, a codicil must be in writing (handwritten or typed codicils are acceptable) and must be signed at the end by the party making the codicil.  In addition, two or more competent witnesses, who saw that party sign the codicil, or heard that party acknowledge his signature, must also attest and subscribe to that party’s signature while in that party’s presence.  The extent of the changes you propose to your will determines the complexity of the preparation of the codicil. In short, slightly amending your estate plan to include Columbus Audubon can be a relatively inexpensive and painless task.  Your estate planning attorney or tax advisor can shed additional light on whether using a codicil to make a charitable contribution to Columbus Audubon makes sense for you.  Please contact Marc Blubaugh at 614-895-0857 or Ben Segel at 614-785-6461 with any questions. Page updated 01/19/04 © Columbus Audubon 2004