Planned Giving

Leave a Lasting Legacy

Including the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in your estate plans is a meaningful way to support Buddhist study, practice, and community for years to come.

A planned gift can help BCBS support teachers, provide financial assistance, care for our campus, and help people cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom.

What Is Planned Giving?

Planned giving allows you to make a charitable contribution to BCBS through your will or other estate plans.

Common options include:

Leaving a gift to BCBS through your will or trust
Naming BCBS as a beneficiary of a retirement account
Naming BCBS as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy
Establishing another type of planned gift with guidance from your legal or financial advisor

Your plans can be updated as your circumstances and priorities change.

Why Include BCBS in Your Estate Plans?

BCBS helps people cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom through Buddhist study, practice, and community. Including BCBS in your estate plans can help sustain this work and make it available to others for years to come.

Your Impact

Your planned gift can help BCBS:

Offer programs rooted in Buddhist study and practice
Bring together respected teachers and scholars from a wide range of Buddhist traditions
Provide financial assistance to help make programs more accessible
Care for our campus as a place of learning, practice, and community

Potential Benefits

Depending on the type of gift and your individual circumstances, planned giving may offer:

Tax advantages: Some planned gifts may provide estate, income, or other tax benefits.
Financial flexibility: Certain gift arrangements allow you to support BCBS while retaining access to or control of your assets during your lifetime.
A lasting expression of generosity: A planned gift can extend your support for Buddhist study and practice beyond your lifetime.

How to Include BCBS in Your Estate Plans

Gift in Your Will or Trust: You can designate BCBS to receive a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or all or part of what remains after other gifts have been made.
Retirement Plans and Life Insurance: You can name BCBS as a full or partial beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy. Contact the financial institution or insurance provider that manages the account or policy for its beneficiary designation form and instructions.
Other Planned Gifts: Other planned-giving arrangements may also be available. Please speak with your legal or financial advisor and contact BCBS before finalizing a complex or noncash gift.

BCBS Beneficiary Information

You may need the following information to include BCBS in your plans:

Legal name: Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Inc.
Address: 149 Lockwood Road, Barre, MA 01005
Tax ID: 22-3058493
Organization type: 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization

Let Us Know About Your Gift

If you have included BCBS in your will or other estate plans, we invite you to let us know. Sharing this information is entirely optional and does not create a binding commitment. It gives us the opportunity to thank you and helps BCBS plan thoughtfully for the future.

Any information you share will be treated confidentially.

Questions About Planned Giving

If you have questions or would like to talk about including BCBS in your plans, please contact Executive Director Melissa Gopnik at melissag@buddhistinquiry.org or 978-355-2347. Melissa can answer questions about BCBS, discuss your intentions, and provide information for you or your advisor.

BCBS cannot provide legal, financial, or tax advice. Please consult a qualified professional about your individual circumstances.