Ways to Give Wisely

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. —Winston S. Churchill

LEAVE A LEGACY® Stark County knows that each donor considers a gift decision through the prism of his or her own goals and objectives. Accordingly, many organizations offer the convenience and flexibility of multiple gift options, each returning specific benefits. While outright gifts are most immediately helpful to organizations, you may make a contribution in several other ways. These “planned” gifts strengthen your favorite non-profit organization’s financial future, while returning significant tax, estate planning, and other financial benefits to you and your family.

Your gift will support your favorite nonprofit’s mission. It will continue their tradition of excellence, providing programs that strengthen our community.

Please consult with your professional advisor or a representative from your favorite charity to discuss how your legacy will make a difference in the lives that follow. We hope that you will find one of these ways to give wisely, as a good starting point for your philanthropic goals.

Gifts Of Cash

You take nothing with you that you gained-- Only what you gave away. —Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

Cash is the simplest medium for a donation. It provides immediate benefits to your favorite organization. You may make an outright gift, fund a life income arrangement, or make a bequest.

Pledges

Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others. —Barbara Bush

Rather than making a lump-sum gift of cash, you may prefer to spread your payments over a number of years with a pledge. A pledge allows you to contribute more significantly to your favorite organization, while extending tax advantages over a period of several years.

Appreciated Securities

Light tomorrow with today! —Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Making a gift of stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares that are worth more now than when you originally purchased them will deliver more tax benefits to you than a gift of cash. More information can be found under Planned Gifts.

Matching Gifts

I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced that they are about to change the world. I am more awed by ... those who ... struggle to make one small difference after another. —Ellen Goodman

If your employer matches your charitable gifts, the result can often be a double or triple contribution to the organization.

Planned Gifts

Wealth is not to feed our egos, but to feed the hungry and to help people help themselves. —Andrew Carnegie

You can partner with your favorite organization for a gift that benefits you as well as them. Here are some ways to give wisely:

• Make a gift that costs you nothing during your lifetime by naming your favorite organization as beneficiary of your will, life insurance, retirement plan or trust.
• Create a gift that will produce income for the rest of your life. You may be able to increase your current income, reduce taxes, and help your favorite charity with a simple Charitable Gift Annuity or with a more complex Charitable Remainder Trust.
• Share your home, vacation home, or farm by deeding it to your favorite charity in a life estate. You will continue to enjoy its use throughout your lifetime. Upon your passing, the charity can retain it as a capital asset to house those who need help living independently, or sell it to become an endowment that feeds the hungry or rescues animals.
• You may be surprised that what you have, a painting or a coin collection, can bring beauty to your favorite charity, become an endowment to send children to summer camp or a symphony performance in your honor.

An Act of Joy!

“When I grow up, I want to become a philanthropist!” His mother replied, “Why Johnny, that's wonderful.” “Yeah,” Johnny responded, “they all seem to have a lot of money.”