Fortissimo Society

For over six decades, Opera Omaha has been a cultural resource for our entire region, impacting tens of thousands of lives each year through ground-breaking opera productions and life-changing community programs. This work has been made possible through the generosity of individuals, known as the Fortissimo Society, who have made sustaining financial gifts, including bequests and planned gifts. Today, by including Opera Omaha in your estate plans, you can ensure that innovative, accessible and relevant opera experiences remain part of our community for generations to come.

We are grateful for the selfless generosity of our Fortissimo Society members who are helping to secure opera’s future. We are honored to acknowledge members of our Fortissimo Society in our programs and extend invitations to experiences that bring them closer to the art they have helped to make possible. We invite you to join this esteemed group of individuals who have demonstrated their deep commitment to our region.

We are grateful to the following individuals who designated a portion of their estate to support Opera Omaha, upon their passing.

Rabbi Myer S.* and Dorothy Kripke*
Pauline D. Nelson*
Howard Silberg*
Margaret Wiltse*
Annie F. Zinn*

We thank the donors who have established restricted funds to honor a family, friend and loved one. These named funds provide important ongoing support through Opera Omaha’s endowment.

The Barbara Willson Fund
The Jane Hill Education Fund
The William Randolph Hearst Fund

*Deceased

There are many ways to make a planned gift, including those with tax benefits. We have summarized popular options below and encourage you to speak with a professional to select an option that best suits your objectives.

Gift of Bequest
A bequest is a basic charitable planned gift completely free of estate and other taxes. It is a statement of intent that can be inserted in your will, codicil to a will, or living trust. A charitable bequest can be established for a specific dollar amount or for a percentage of an estate or residuary estate.

IRAs or Retirement Plans
By naming Opera Omaha as a beneficiary of your IRAs or retirement plans you may be able to avoid estate and income taxes.

IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts
IRA rollover gifts can be part of a taxpayer's required minimum distributions each year and not subject to tax. Tax-free IRA rollover gifts are limited to taxpayers ages 70 ½ and above, with a maximum of $100,000 in IRA gifts per year.

Life Insurance
Naming Opera Omaha as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy prevents the insurance proceeds from being included in your gross estate. The cash surrender value and all future premiums paid on the policy may be taken as a charitable deduction on your income tax return if you transfer ownership of the life insurance policy to Opera Omaha.

Charitable Remainder Trust
A Charitable Remainder Trust can be created during your lifetime, or through your will or living trust to pay income for life to others upon your death. There are two kinds: 1) an Annuity Trust pays you a fixed dollar amount per year; 2) a Unitrust pays you an annual fixed percentage of its value, with the Unitrust being revalued each year.

Charitable Lead Trust
Avoid significant gift and estate taxes for your descendants by funding a Charitable Lead Trust. Once the Trust is established, Opera Omaha is paid income for a term of years, at the end of which the principal of the Trust passes directly to your family or other beneficiaries you name.

Or to inform Opera Omaha that it is included in your estate plans, please contact Opera Omaha’s Development Department at (402) 661-8435 or jprickett@operaomaha.org.