You can support Evergreen Life Services by leaving a charitable bequest in your will or living trust. This type of gift is simple to arrange. When you leave a gift in your will or trust, you have full access to your money for as long as you live. Your gift goes to Evergreen only if you do not need it during your life.
Planned Giving
There are many ways to support the long-range mission of Evergreen Life Services. While your annual contributions are greatly appreciated, please consider some of these creative ways to arrange a substantial gift in the future.
Bequests
Beneficiary Designations
You can name Evergreen Life Services as a beneficiary of your life insurance, your IRA, your retirement plan, a bank account, or a deferred annuity. You may designate any amount you choose, from 1% to 100%. You may wish to leave the full death benefit for Evergreen. If family protection is still important for you, you may want to leave a smaller percentage (5% -10%) as your gift. Either way, you are making an important contribution to the work of Evergreen Life Services.
Gifts of Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds
One of the best ways to support Evergreen Life Services is with a gift of securities. You can donate shares of stock, bonds, and mutual funds directly to Evergreen. For many people, this is an excellent way to make a charitable gift. If the securities you own have appreciated in value, you will have to pay capital gains tax when you sell them. However, if you donate them to Evergreen, you completely avoid the capital gains tax, yet you can still claim a charitable deduction for the full market value.
Real Estate
You can make a substantial contribution to Evergreen Life Services by donating real estate. You may donate a home, a vacation home, a condominium, a lot, farm land, or a commercial building. If you own a piece of property that you no longer need, please consider donating it. You will receive an income tax deduction based on its current fair market value. You will also avoid any capital gains tax, no matter what you paid for it. You may also avoid holding costs, such as insurance, maintenance and property taxes.
Gift Annuity
With a gift annuity you receive annuity payments for life in exchange for your gift. You are also helping Evergreen Life Services carry out its mission. Because gift annuity payments are guaranteed for life, you will never outlive your money. You may use cash, certificates of deposit (CDs), stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to make your gift. Your payout rate is based on your age. The older you are, the higher your payout rate. You will also receive an income tax deduction when you set up your gift annuity, and each annuity payment is partly tax-free.
Charitable Trusts
Charitable trusts are remarkably flexible planned giving arrangements that provide a wide variety of tax benefits to the donors. These trusts are fairly complex and require drafting by a skilled attorney. Because of the set-up costs, they are used mostly for gifts in the $500,000 and up range. These trusts can provide you with an immediate income tax deduction as well as lifetime payouts at a predetermined rate.
Life Insurance
You can support the mission of Evergreen Life Services by donating an existing life insurance policy. You may have purchased life insurance many years ago for family protection that you no longer need. If this is the case, you can donate that life insurance policy as a charitable gift. When you donate a policy with cash value, you receive an income tax deduction. This is a great way to turn an old policy into a tax-wise gift that helps Evergreen carry out its mission.
Questions? Contact Cathey Crow at [email protected]