Planned Giving & Gifts of Real Estate
Planned gifts and gifts of real estate create opportunities for both our donors and Bethesda Project. Determining what gift is right for you is just as important as making the gift. There are many options from which you can choose. The correct plan for you balances what you wish to accomplish for yourself, your family, and your charitable interests in your overall estate and financial plans. Learn about giving strategies that allow you to make a meaningful charitable gift while possibly enhancing your, and your family’s future and well-being.
For more information, please contact Emma Stern, Director of Development, at (215) 985-1600 x 203.
Planned Giving Donation Options Include:
Life Insurance
As life circumstances change, so do insurance needs. Often, we find that long-held life insurance policies are no longer relevant to our current financial plans. If you find you no longer need the proceeds of a life insurance policy, consider naming Bethesda Project as the beneficiary of all or part of the proceeds.
Appreciated Property
Substantial capital gains tax advantages can be obtained by donating appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or other property.
Retirement plans & IRA’s
A common way to use retirement plans & IRAs as part of charitable giving is to name Bethesda Project as a beneficiary of all or part of the account. For example, a donor who is 70 ½ or older can make an IRA distribution directly to Bethesda Project whether or not the donor itemizes.
Donor Advised Funds
Someone interested in contributing to Bethesda Project can create a donor advised fund with a commercial broker such as Fidelity, Schwab or Vanguard or a community foundation such as The Philadelphia Foundation with an initial expenditure of no more than $5k -$10k. A Donor Advised Fund can thus serve as the donor’s “charitable checkbook.” In this way donors can plan to contribute in a manner that will permit them to exceed the new standard deduction and thus to continue to itemize charitable gifts. Yet the donor retains the flexibility to give to one or more charities over a multiyear period. And almost any kind of asset can be used to start a Donor Advised Fund.
Bequests
A charitable bequest is a gift made through a will or living trust. They can be made in the form of a specific gift of cash or other property, or a percentage of the remainder of an estate. This method creates no disruption of your current financial priorities.
Endowments
By investing a dedicated pool of money, an endowment provides annual distribution of reliable income to Bethesda Project and a reserve to address unanticipated circumstances. All of the types of planned gifts listed in this document can be used to add to our existing endowment.
Charitable Gift Annuities (CGA’s)
A CGA is a contract between a donor and a charity. CGAs provides payments for one or two beneficiaries at a fixed rate. In exchange for your gift of $20,000+, the donor receives an attractive annuity rate guaranteed for life, backed by the assets of the foundation and not subject to market fluctuations. CGA donors enjoy benefits such as possible current income tax deduction, partially tax-free payments, and capital gains tax savings on appreciated property.
