Legacy Giving

Your attorney can add bequest language to a new will or as a codicil to an existing one. The full legal name to use is Open Door Mission Houston, and we can provide our mailing address and tax identification number upon request. Sample language is also available in our planning guide. The process is straightforward and usually requires just one appointment with your attorney.

Including a bequest to Open Door Mission does not require you to rewrite your entire will. In many cases, your attorney can add or update a charitable provision with a simple amendment. Your existing beneficiaries, property distributions, and other wishes remain intact. We recommend working with a licensed estate attorney in Texas to ensure everything is structured correctly for your situation.

To make a stock gift, you instruct your brokerage to transfer shares directly to Open Door Mission Houston's account. We can provide the account and routing information when you are ready. Once the transfer is complete, your gift is valued at the fair market price on the date of transfer. Please let us know when a transfer is coming so we can acknowledge it promptly and provide your gift receipt.

Planned gifts can carry meaningful tax benefits depending on the type of gift and your personal financial situation. Gifts of appreciated stock, for example, may allow you to avoid capital gains tax on the growth while receiving a charitable deduction for the full value. Bequests may reduce the taxable value of your estate. We are not able to provide tax or legal advice, and we always encourage donors to consult their own tax advisor or attorney to understand how a gift would affect their specific situation.

In many cases, yes. Some donors prefer an unrestricted gift that allows ODH to direct funds where the need is greatest. Others want to designate a gift toward a specific program or purpose. If you have a particular area of the mission in mind, we are glad to talk through what is possible and document your intent clearly. Restrictions should be discussed with us before your estate documents are finalized to make sure we can honor them.

You are not required to notify us, but we would love to know. When donors share that they have included Open Door Mission in their plans, it helps us with long-term planning and gives us the opportunity to express our gratitude personally. It also ensures we have current contact information if anything needs to be clarified in the future. Any information you share with us is held in confidence.