Opportunities for Support

t was through the efforts of Edward F. Searles (1841-1920) of Methuen, Massachusetts that we enjoy the “Great Organ” in such a spectacular setting today. He purchased the once much-admired German built old Boston Music Hall organ – dismantled and stored – at a time when its future was uncertain. Searles was the visionary who was instrumental in providing the organ a visual and acoustical setting that he felt it deserved – a concert hall designed and built expressly to showcase the “Great Organ”. The Board of Trustees of the Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc. has established the Edward F. Searles Society to recognize individuals who have remembered the Music Hall through planned giving. By including the corporation in their estate planning, one will help to ensure the future of the Music Hall and our programming for years to come. Edward F. Searles Society members display a public commitment to the mission of the Music Hall corporation that will transcend their earthly lives. Their bequests become ever living testimonies to their belief in the work of the corporation. Our personal priorities and preferences are defined by the way we budget three areas of our lives – our time, our talent and our treasure. Many individuals choose to designate in advance the disposition of their accumulated wealth at the time of their death. A will is the necessary legal document that establishes how one’s lifetime treasure will be distributed. Without a will, the state distributes one’s assets regardless of their preferences. Estate planning that includes a financial contribution to the Methuen Memorial Music

Hall, Inc. is a lasting legacy to assist in covering the cost of operations and capital improvements of the “Great Organ” and the Music Hall, thus assuring their enjoyment for future generations. Opportunities for support are numerous. Outright cash contributions provide necessary financial resources to assist the corporation. If you are an employee or retiree of an enterprise that offers a Matching Gift Program, please process your personal contribution accordingly so as to maximize the total effective amount of your support. Unlike cash contributions, planned gifts provide financial resources for the corporation’s future while allowing one to enjoy immediate tax benefits and / or income based on the investment type selected. One can ensure the continuance of the corporation’s future by naming the corporation as a beneficiary in one’s will. A bequest is accomplished through a written and executed will. The appropriate phraseology is: “I give, devise, and bequeath [$ amount] to the Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc.” A life income agreement allows one to make the corporation the remainder beneficiary of a trust one creates during one’s lifetime while retaining income for oneself and / or a second beneficiary. One receives an immediate tax deduction when one creates a trust. By establishing a trust, donors either name the corporation as the trust beneficiary or place the assets in a trust fund that will generate income for the corporation over a specified term. Through one’s gift of appreciated securities, stocks, or bonds to the corporation, one may avoid some or all of the capital gains tax by

deducting their full market value as a charitable contribution. The Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. The mailing address is Post Office Box 463, Methuen, Massachusetts 01844-0463. The corporation’s Federal Identification Number (FIN) is: 02-6011075. Gifts made to the corporation are tax-deductible to the full extent of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions may be directed to any of our existing funds: Endowment, Organ Restoration or Scholarship. One recital of our fifteen week Wednesday Evening Organ Recital Series is a specially designated, named recital. Any individual, family, organization, or corporation may establish a named recital by making an endowment contribution to permanently underwrite the production cost of such a recital. This is a unique way to honor a family member or friend, to recognize a group, or memorialize a deceased loved one. We also offer individuals, families, organizations and corporations the opportunity to underwrite any of the non endowed recitals of our series on an annual basis. Please work with your attorney, financial advisor, and /or tax advisor in determining the best appropriate gift to the corporation considering your particular financial situation. Additional information is available from Bob Slein, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones, 153 Main Street, Salem, New Hampshire 03079- 3182, (603) 898-2106, Email: bob.slein@edwardjones.com, Website: www.edwardjones.com.