Simple Way to Leave a Legacy: Learn How

You have a passion for public health, and you understand the impact CDC has on billions of lives in the United States and around the world. Our mission at the CDC Foundation to work collaboratively with CDC and partners to improve health and save lives resonates with you. Today we are facing a variety of pressing health threats, including global health security, antimicrobial resistance, re-emergence of vaccine preventable diseases like measles, emerging risks of vaping, high rates of suicide in the U.S., the opioid crisis, and more. And we are working to address those threats.

Fortunately, we are making inroads in addressing major public health challenges. We are working on:

  • Data transformation to ensure our nation’s health through two-way information sharing between health care and public health,
  • Addressing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, by expanding the evidence base for risk factors and identifying interventions to improve patient outcomes, and
  • Responding rapidly emergency response crises because speed saves lives.

Dr. Bill Foege, credited with leading the worldwide effort to eliminate smallpox, says, “No one ever thanks you for the disease they didn’t to get.” The CDC Foundation understands the importance of your support and contribution in helping to protect people and their health.

Because you care, we want to make you aware of opportunities to give easily and strategically to support public health. One of the most effective ways to give is through assets rather than cash, because there are often tax benefits. In past blogs, we have talked about making a grant recommendation from your donor advised fund as well as giving through an IRA charitable rollover if your 70-1/2 or older. Both are financially strategic ways to support your favorite nonprofits.

Another simple, tax effective way to give is by making the CDC Foundation a beneficiary of an account like a retirement, investment, checking or savings account or your life insurance policy. Rather than updating your will, you simply need to ask your account holder for a new beneficiary designation form. You can make the CDC Foundation a beneficiary of all or a percentage of the assets, allowing you to take care of family and loved ones as well. This type of gift is non-binding, so if the needs of your loved ones change, you can change your plans accordingly. Also, you can continue to take distributions or withdrawals from your retirement, investment or back account and continue to freely use your account.

Please consider becoming a member of the Healthy Futures Society by making a non-binding gift through a beneficiary designation, an estate gift or other planned gift to ensure the future of our work. And let us know of your decision so we can appropriately thank and recognize you. Together our impact is greater.

For more information on planned giving and creative ways to give strategically, please visit plannedgiving.cdcfoundation.org or contact Helene Erenberg at 404-443-1139 or herenberg@cdcfoundation.org.



Amy Macklin
Amy Macklin is a senior advancement officer for the CDC Foundation.