August is Make-A-Will Month — a natural moment to think about legacy. For many donors, “legacy planning” conjures a bequest that takes effect only after they’re gone. But some of the most meaningful legacy gifts are ones you make today, through the same planning process, and whose impact you get to witness firsthand.
Consider Sun Health Foundation’s recently launched campaign to enhance radiation oncology services at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center at Banner Boswell Medical Center — a current cause where a planned gift can go to work right away. This is a two-year effort to raise $6 million toward doubling daily patient capacity from 32 to 60–70 patients and bringing two state-of-the-art linear accelerators online by 2029.
It’s an urgent need, because radiation therapy plays a role in roughly 60% of cancer diagnoses, and demand for services is growing, resulting in about 15% of patients being routed to Banner locations in Glendale and Gilbert. Because treatment often means daily visits over several weeks, capacity and proximity matter enormously — especially for older adults managing fatigue and transportation challenges.
Planned Gifts That Make a Difference Now
This campaign, with its two-year timeline, benefits greatly from gifts that put resources to work in the near-term. The good news is that several planning vehicles that donors typically associate with wills and estates can also deliver funds to the Foundation right away. As you meet with your attorney or financial advisor this month, consider three options worth discussing.
- A charitable gift annuity (CGA) lets you make a gift now while securing fixed income for life, for yourself or another beneficiary. Sun Health Foundation receives and can put the contribution to work immediately — with a portion set aside to fund your future payments — meaning your generosity supports radiation oncology patients today while continuing to provide for you. It’s a structure many donors find fits naturally into the same planning conversation as a will or trust, but with a benefit you don’t have to wait for.
- For donors 70½ or older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows funds to move directly from an IRA to Sun Health Foundation, potentially counting toward the required minimum distribution (RMD) while excluding that amount from taxable income. Like a CGA, a QCD can be arranged while reviewing your estate and charitable plans, and the Foundation can use the gift immediately.
- Gifts of appreciated securities — stock, mutual funds, or other long-held assets — are often folded into estate and tax planning because of the advantages they offer, including the potential to avoid capital gains tax while donating at full market value. Transferred directly to the Foundation, these gifts are available for use right away.
Traditional Estate Gifts Also Matter for This Cause
This campaign is about capacity today, but it’s also about tomorrow. The current initiative is designed to meet the needs of the population for the next 10 years, but the need for additional enhancements and growth will continue well beyond that.
Estate gifts such as bequests and beneficiary designations are how many donors extend their impact well into the future, helping guarantee that superior care remains close to home for generations of West Valley families.
This matters because the West Valley has become one of the fastest-growing regions in Arizona and the United States, and according to WESTMARC, it is projected to capture 43% of Maricopa County’s future population growth over the next 25 years. Even if cancer incidence rates remain stable, a larger population translates directly into more cancer diagnoses, more treatment episodes, and greater need for radiation oncology capacity.
In addition, radiation therapy is increasingly being studied and prescribed not only as a treatment for cancer, but also as a non-invasive option for chronic conditions that disproportionately affect older adults, especially osteoarthritis (low-dose radiation can be used to reduce inflammation). As the West Valley’s aging population grows, innovations in radiation medicine may improve quality of life for thousands of residents.
A planned gift made today helps ensure the infrastructure to treat not just cancer, but also other chronic conditions both today and tomorrow, when a friend, spouse, or grandchild may need it most.
To learn more about the radiation-oncology initiative and to explore what type of planned gift might be right for you, contact our philanthropy team at (623) 471-8470.
