Designate and Donate—Bank Accounts

Ask the bank for a Payable on Death (P.O.D.) form. After your passing, what remains in the checking or savings account will be transferred to American Rivers.

How It Works

• Contact your bank to complete or update your P.O.D. form for your checking, savings accounts, and jointly-held accounts.
• Designate American Rivers (Tax ID #23-7305963) to receive the remaining account balance after your passing.

Benefits

• You maintain control and use of the account balance during your lifetime.
• Your assets bypass probate court, simplifying the estate process for your heirs.
• You can modify your gift to address changing circumstances.
• You can direct your gift to a particular purpose (be sure to check with us to make sure your gift can be used as intended).
• Receive a charitable deduction, which will reduce any estate or inheritance taxes.
• American Rivers receives the balance of the accounts to use according to your wishes.
• A POD is simpler to create and maintain than a trust or will.

Checking and Savings Accounts: A Gift You Can Make

When you opened your checking and savings account, you signed paperwork describing how the bank account will work. Do you remember what will happen to the bank accounts after you pass away? The P.O.D. form tells the bank who will receive the funds remaining in the bank account when the account owner passes away. Your loved ones and/or American Rivers may be listed on the P.O.D. form. This is a meaningful way to begin your charitable legacy. It also keeps your bank accounts from becoming part of your estate, which may have to be administered by the probate system in your state.

Jointly Held Accounts

You may be a joint owner of the account or you may have made a loved one a joint owner. The joint owner may make deposits and withdrawals during your lifetime. The joint owner may also have "rights of survivorship," meaning that he/she will automatically inherit the account when you pass away. Even if you have a joint account, you should complete the P.O.D. form to assure that the bank knows what to do with the remaining assets when both account holders have passed away. This step will also assure that the account may not become part of a time consuming and costly probate process.