Include Mercy Corps in your will
One of the most powerful ways you can support families facing conflict, crisis and disaster around the world is by including Mercy Corps as a beneficiary in your will. Your legacy gift connects your life story with our work for years to come — and with the lives of the millions of people we reach.
Everyone who establishes a legacy gift is invited to join the Mercy Corps Legacy Society. It’s our way of saying thank you for your generous commitment to sustain our lifesaving work. As a member of the Legacy Society, you’ll receive exclusive updates on our work and invitations to special events where you can learn more about the impact you’re making around the world.
To make it easy to support Mercy Corps with a legacy gift, we’ve partnered with FreeWill. Using their online tool, you can write a legal will in 20 minutes or less for free, and include a legacy gift to Mercy Corps. Click here to get started.
If you have additional questions about how to create a will and include Mercy Corps as a beneficiary, click here for answers to common questions.
If you decide to leave us in your will, please reference our legal name, Mercy Corps, and our tax ID: 91-1148123. If you wish to name Mercy Corps as a whole or partial beneficiary of your IRA, retirement plan, life insurance policy or donor-advised fund, please contact your plan administrator.
And please let us know if you do! We’d love to recognize you for your generosity and welcome you into the Legacy Society.
Meet Tanya and Eric Kline, members of the Mercy Corps Legacy Society
Tanya made her first gift to Mercy Corps in 1992 when she was just 18 years old. She began making small contributions while attending The Ohio State University before ramping up her support with a monthly gift. Tanya continued to give monthly for over 25 years until she and her husband, Eric, decided to deepen their partnership with the organization – by leaving a legacy gift to Mercy Corps in their will.
Tanya and Eric created their will at an early age, shortly after their first daughter was born. “[When we put together our will], we identified three different organizations to give a planned gift. And we chose Mercy Corps together.”
It’s important to give to an organization that’s important to you. The question is: What will you leave behind to make the world a better place?
Over the past 30 years, the couple has dedicated their philanthropy to making our world a better place – including through Tanya’s charitable work here in the United States and their gifts to Mercy Corps.
“Mercy Corps was the first international organization that I heard about,” says Tanya. “I really liked that they worked in so many countries around the world, focusing on both relief and development work.”
Over the years, it’s become clear to them that Mercy Corps is more than an emergency organization. Like Tanya and Eric, our teams are deeply committed to helping communities around the world recover from crises like conflict and climate change. Together, we can go beyond emergency aid, partnering with communities to develop solutions that can create real change that will continue to impact future generations to come.
“I also really like that Mercy Corps hires local individuals as much as possible to do the work because I think that’s more successful and sustainable. [Their approach] isn’t about we’re coming in to save you. It’s more like we’re here to help you help your community,” says Tanya.
“They’re getting aid to the places that need it most,” adds Eric. “Mercy Corps has a broad range of expertise and services that it’s able to provide. It’s like the mutual fund of aid organizations.”
For Tanya and Eric, leaving a legacy gift to Mercy Corps is an investment in a brighter future. And you can make Mercy Corps part of your lasting legacy too. Below, learn more about leaving a gift to us in your will or listing Mercy Corps as a beneficiary of your IRA, retirement plan, life insurance policy, or donor-advised fund.
How to create a will and include Mercy Corps as a beneficiary
Creating a will and designating Mercy Corps as a beneficiary is not as complicated as you might think. Here we answer some of the most common questions you might have as you begin to think about creating a will.
How do I create a will?
A will is an important planning tool and can be a useful document regardless of estate size. By creating a will, you are ensuring that your wishes will be known and carried out, sparing your loved ones the stress of making decisions on your behalf.
Depending on the complexity of your estate, one of these services might be a good option for you. And if your circumstances or wishes change after you've completed your estate plans, you can update your will at any time.
- Estate lawyer: Hiring an estate lawyer is not a requirement for creating a valid will—although you may wish to do so.
- Free online resources: To make it easy to support Mercy Corps with a legacy gift, we’ve partnered with FreeWill. Using their online tool, you can write a legal will in 20 minutes or less for free, and include a legacy gift to Mercy Corps. Click here to get started.
What is a bequest?
A bequest is simply the legal term for making a gift through your will or trust and it’s one of the easiest ways to support Mercy Corps. When you are ready to think about your estate plans, designating a charitable organization as a beneficiary in your will is very straightforward. In most cases, it only takes one sentence and you always have the flexibility to change your will in the event that your life circumstances change.
Are there different ways to leave Mercy Corps a bequest?
When it comes to including Mercy Corps in your will, you have a number of options. Here are three of the most common choices:
- Designate a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate to Mercy Corps.
- Designate Mercy Corps as a residual beneficiary. Whatever is left over after your primary beneficiaries will go to Mercy Corps.
- Designate Mercy Corps as an alternative or contingent beneficiary in the event that your primary beneficiaries predecease you.
How do I get started?
We recommend using our estate planning organizer. It will help you organize all of the information you’ll need to create your will. Still have questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact our legacy giving team.