(Jeff Yost is president and CEO of Nebraska Community Foundation. Learn more about NCF’s work at NebraskaHometown.org.)
Forget the jargon, the obscure tax codes, and the laundry list of gift vehicles – forget all of that for now.
Because once you peel away those layers of confusion, estate planning becomes far more approachable. With all the noise temporarily muted, the process becomes a powerful conversation with the people who matter most to you. Like most important decisions in life, a legacy begins at the kitchen table.
That’s how it went for Chuck and Janel Hibberd of rural Lincoln. Though they had an existing estate plan, they realized what they had in place didn’t match their passions. So, they talked it out. Janel and Chuck decided to leave 20% of their estate to charity, set up as the Hibberd Charitable Fund, which will be managed by NCF. Fifty percent of the gift will help continue NCF’s mission, while the other half will support early childhood education and the Nebraska 4-H Foundation’s youth development efforts. They frequently communicated their thoughts with their children during the process, ensuring their family was taken care of before allotting the rest of their estate to those causes they care about.
The Hibberds’ generosity is amazing, but it’s hardly unique. We know hundreds of Nebraskans who have made similar plans to benefit their own beloved communities. In Diller, Bob and Diane Wellsandt added the Diller Community Foundation Fund as a beneficiary on an investment account.
And in Sidney, Melissa and Stanley Norgard made a bequest in their will to benefit their favorite local charitable organization, the Sidney And Greater Area Fund. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful ways to support the causes and places we care about most.
More than 50% of Americans don’t have estate planning documents in place, according to a 2025 study by Caring.com. What many don’t realize is that they actually do have a will. Most states, including Nebraska, have statutes directing how your estate will be distributed if you die without a will.
The reality is these laws most likely do not reflect what you would want. By creating your will, you take control of your legacy.
August is Make-a-Will Month and the perfect reminder to either finally get a plan in place, or revisit estate plans to ensure they still represent your wishes.
With a will, you decide how to use your estate to ensure your family’s security and hometown’s future. Many Nebraskans are beginning to treat their communities as another member of their family, recognizing the essential role the places we call home have in improving quality of life – in creating the margin of excellence that makes our hometowns places we love, not just places we live. More than ever, Nebraskans are realizing we must care for our communities the way they’ve cared for us.
In Nebraska in the next decade more than $100 billion will transfer from one generation to the next. Charitable gift planning is one of the simplest, most impactful ways to ensure a portion of the multi-billion-dollar transfer of wealth remains in your hometown or the community you love. Nebraska Community Foundation suggests leaving 5% of one’s assets to local charitable causes. If everyone left just 5%, it would equate to $5 billion statewide in the next decade. These charitable resources could be used to further community and economic development, better local quality-of-life and improve our state for the next generation who call it home.
Writing a will may seem intimidating, but most people report the process is easier than they anticipated. Meeting with an attorney or professional advisor is always recommended, however, there are also free online tools to help you get started. For instance, www.fivetothrivene.org has a free, easy-to-use will planning guide to take you through the process. And our staff are always happy to discuss tax-wise charitable gift planning strategies and the ways our fellow Nebraskans are leaving a legacy. I’m proud to say many of my colleagues have themselves made charitable planned gifts that will benefit their communities forever.
Whether you need to start the conversation, make it official or revisit your existing will, I invite you to join me and other community-minded Nebraskans in crafting a legacy that benefits you, your family and the place you love.
