Through the ages, the phoenix has been a symbol of resilience and immortality and was associated with art. How fitting that Isabella Stewart Gardner chose the phoenix as an emblem for the museum’s corporate seal above the words C’est mon plaisir (“It is my pleasure”), an artful embodiment of her joy in creating a museum that would fire the imagination of generations to come.
The Phoenix Society: Ensuring the Future of the Gardner
The Gardner Museum’s Phoenix Society welcomes and honors individuals who have included the museum in their estate plans – building a living legacy of their own and helping to ensure the future of the Gardner as a vibrant resource for our community and the world.
Planned gifts to the museum help to enhance the programs that are valued by donors while—in many cases—limiting their tax liability. Among the various types of gifts made by Society members are bequests, charitable and living trusts, life insurance, IRAs, and other retirement assets.
The Gardner Museum thanks Phoenix Society members for their generosity and foresight by extending benefits such as invitations to special receptions and events, perpetual recognition in Phoenix Society donor listings, and more.
If you have already named the Gardner Museum in your will or other estate plans, please let us know so that we can welcome you as a member of the Phoenix Society.
Contact Us
To learn more about the Phoenix Society or ways to support the Gardner Museum through a planned gift, please
contact Lisa Bevilaqua, Director of Development, at lbevilaqua
isgm.org or 617 264 6030. Inquiries are
confidential and imply no obligation. Read more about making a bequest to the Gardner Museum in the document linked below.
IRA Charitable Rollover Extended
In December 2010, the President signed into law a long-awaited extension to the IRA Charitable Rollover Provision. The new law extends this important charitable incentive retroactively from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2011. The Provision allows donors 70 ½ and older to transfer tax free up to $100,000 from an individual retirement account to charity. Transfers must be made directly to a qualified charity, and these transfers satisfy the donor’s IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).
The Gardner Museum recommends that you consult with a qualified financial advisor when making changes to your retirement or estate plans.
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Building on a Legacy
Learn more about the Gardner's Extension + Preservation Project
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