Outright Gifts |
Legacy Gifts |
Memorial/Honor Gifts |
Outright Gifts
Cash
Gifts of cash or check are the easiest and most convenient way to make a charitable contribution and can be used to establish your own fund or add to an existing fund at our community foundation. Cash gifts entitle you to a tax deduction of up to 50% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), with an opportunity to carry-over any excess deduction for five years.
Securities
Gifts of appreciated securities (bonds and stock, including stock in closely held companies) may also be used to establish a fund or add to an existing fund. Such gifts often provide important tax advantages. Their full fair market value is deductible as a charitable contribution up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income. As with gifts of cash, deduction amounts exceeding this limit may be carried forward for up to five additional years. The added benefit of giving appreciated securities is the avoidance of the capital gains tax on the appreciated portion of the gift.
Real Estate
A gift of real estate held more than a year can provide the same federal tax advantages as those described for gifts of securities. If you are thinking of contributing real estate, it is important that you contact us prior to any action as such gifts are considered by the board and staff on a case-by-case basis. Our ability to accept real estate as a charitable contribution depends upon a number of factors and requirements. Upon request, we will be happy to provide you or your professional advisor with the section of our gift acceptance policy that deals with proposed gifts of real estate.
Art, Jewelry, Antiques, and other Valuables
The community foundation will liquidate the item and use the proceeds to establish or add to an existing fund. The greatest tax benefit comes when the donated object is considered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to be a long-term capital gain property that has been held more than one year.
Assets from Trusts or a Private Foundation
To the extent you are permitted by law to make grants from a private foundation, you can direct such grants to the community foundation. In most cases, if a private foundation has become burdensome, it is possible to terminate it completely and transfer its assets to create a donor advised fund or other type fund at the community foundation.
Legacy Gifts (tab #2)
We encourage you to work with your estate planning professional to determine your best course of action. Here are some options you may wish to discuss. We would be happy to meet with you and your advisor at any time.
Bequests
A bequest to the community foundation can be as simple as adding a paragraph to your will or naming us on a formal beneficiary designation form. This is the most common planned gift, and it may provide you with valuable estate tax savings and reduce inheritance taxes.
Bequests can be in the form of:
- a stated dollar amount or specific property
- a percentage of the estate
- a portion or all of the residual once provisions have been made for all family members
See sample language under the Legacy Society tab.
Life Insurance
Name the community foundation as a beneficiary of your policy. Your estate will be entitled to an offsetting charitable deduction. You will receive an immediate tax deduction that usually approximates the cash surrender value of the policy. All premium payments made thereafter are deductible as a charitable contribution.
Retirement Plans
You can name the community foundation as the designated beneficiary of a retirement plan (e.g., IRA, 401(k), 403(b), etc.). These are advantageous types of assets to leave to charity because they can be taxed heavily when left to heirs. Heirs pay income tax on disbursements from a decedent’s retirement plan. Leaving a retirement plan to the community foundation ensures that 100 % of your gift will support your charitable interests and is one of the most tax efficient ways to transfer assets.
Charitable Trusts
A charitable remainder trust (CRT) pays the donor, or a beneficiary designated by the donor, regular income payments for life or a specified trust term (up to 20 years). Whatever remains is then transferred to the community foundation into an existing fund or a fund that you create. The donor receives an immediate charitable tax deduction for the present value of the gift in the year the gift is made. The CRT can be structured to pay a fixed amount, or income that varies with the value of the trust.
A charitable lead trust (CLT) pays annual payments to the community foundation over a donor’s lifetime or for a specified number of years The annual payments may be fixed or may be variable based on the value of the trust. When the trust terminates, the trust principal is distributed to family or others designated by the donor as the beneficiary.
Memorial/Honor Gifts (tab #3)
Create a lasting legacy in our community to memorialize a loved one or a person who greatly influenced your life. Create a fund that carries their name or give in their memory to an existing fund that gives to issues or charities they supported.
Honor a family member, colleague or friend on a special occasion through a gift to our community impact endowment. Your gift will be tax deductible and the person whom you choose to honor will receive a customized card acknowledging that you have made a gift in their name.