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A charitable bequest is one of the easiest ways you can leave a lasting impact on our organization. A bequest may be made in your will or trust directing a gift to our organization. 

A charitable gift annuity is a contract between you and our organization. You transfer property to us; in exchange we pay you fixed income for life. The fixed income can be quite high depending on your age. A portion of your income stream may even be tax-free. You will receive a charitable deduction for your gift and the satisfaction of furthering our mission.

This option pays you income that reflects trust investments. There is even the potential that your income could increase over time with growth in the trust. There are several payout options to meet your unique situation and needs. The standard unitrust pays out a percentage of the trust assets each year. Another payout option, commonly used for real estate, permits the trust to sell the property tax-free and then begin paying you income after the property has been sold.

A charitable lead trust is an excellent option if you are looking for a way to pass on some of your assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes. In this option, you make a contribution of your property to fund a trust that pays our organization income for a number of years. At the time of your gift, you receive a gift or estate tax deduction. After a period of time, your family receives the trust assets plus any additional growth in value. It is even possible to set up a lead trust that will allow you to transfer assets to your family with zero transfer taxes. The IRS assumes that a lead trust is only earning at the current low federal rate. If the actual investments of the trust produce a higher return than the payments made to charity over the term of the trust, then the full value of the trust may be transferred to family with zero gift tax.

If your life insurance policy is no longer needed or will no longer benefit your survivors, consider making it a charitable gift to help further our mission. By giving your life insurance policy to us today, you can receive a charitable income tax deduction. You can also opt to designate us as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. You will continue to own and can make use of the policy during your lifetime. The policy will be included in your taxable estate when you pass away, but your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the value of the gift to us.

Did you know that 50%-60% of your retirement assets may be lost to taxes if you leave them to your heirs at your death? If you designate our organization as beneficiary, we will benefit from the full value of your gift because your IRA assets will not be taxed at your death. If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. Therefore, a gift of your retirement assets [IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax deferred plan] is an excellent way to make the most of these investments. Plus, your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

A gift of appreciated securities, including stocks or bonds, is an easy way for you to make a gift. By doing so, you avoid paying capital gains tax, receive a charitable income tax deduction, enjoy possible increased income, and further our mission today!