Support
CASA of the Southern Tier
|
Last year
CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc. served over 100 abused or neglected
children in our community. There are many ways to support CASA's
efforts. If you would like to support the LOCAL work of CASA,
contributions can be made to:
CASA
of the Southern Tier, Inc.
PO Box 778
Corning, New York 14830
(607) 936-CASA (2272) - Phone and fax
email: casasoutherntier@aol.com
Support
40 Weeks of Caring
Friends of CASA
Each April we conduct Friends of CASA Campaign. April is Child Abuse
Awareness month. This is our fund drive of the year and offers the
community an opportunity to financially support the LOCAL programs and
services offered by CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc.
Top
Holiday
Campaign
Each fall we conduct our Holiday Campaign which ensures the continuance
of our various programs and services. This campaign offers donors a
great opportunity before the end of the calendar year to make a
substantial gift with tax benefits. Please give generously and
encourage others to do so. HELP CAN'T WAIT and neither can you! Donate
now!
Top
United Way
and CASA: PARTNERS IN SERVICE
We are pleased to be fundraising partners with the United Way of the
Southern Tier and the United Way of Schuyler County. The United Way
program funds numerous worthwhile programs in our community and
provides us with over 17% of our operating budget. We encourage your
generous support for the United Way Campaign!
Top
PLANNED
GIVING PROGRAM
On a long-range basis, CASA of the Southern Tier
is trying to build its Endowment Program through a Planned Giving
Program to assist us with needs in the future. You can become a major
supporter of our work by including us in your will or estate plan.
There are many ways to accomplish this including simple bequeaths, life
insurance, appreciated securities, and donations to our Pooled Income
Fund. Your Financial Advisor can provide information on the types of
charitable donations. To ensure appropriate documentation on all
donations via your estate plan, please include "donated to CASA of the
Southern Tier, Inc."
On a national level, CASA will continue to open
new doors of service to children in Family Court, and succeeding
generations of CASA volunteers will provide advocacy where it is
needed.
Top
Here are
some examples of gifts that make a huge difference in the number of
children we can help.
Cash
Securities
Real Estate
Life Insurance
Life Income Gifts including
Pooled Income Fund Gifts
Charitable Gift Annuity
Charitable Remainder Trust
Gifts
by Will including
A Bequest of Cash
Honor and Memorial Gifts
Tax Benefits
An
Outright Gift of Cash
Many gifts made to CASA are in the form of cash. Charitable gifts of
cash qualify for federal income tax deductions in the year of the gift
(so long as they do not exceed 50 percent of adjusted gross income).
The value of the deduction depends on the donor's tax rate-the higher
the rate, the greater the savings from the gift.
Top
A
Gift of Securities
Stocks and bonds that have increased in value may
be given as a charitable gift to CASA. If the stocks and bonds are
considered long term, (as determined by law in effect at the time of
the gift), it is more advantageous to the donor to give these
securities directly rather than to sell them and give the proceeds from
the sale. By making a gift of the appreciated securities themselves,
donors may completely avoid the capital gains tax, allowing the gift to
be made at a significantly lower cost.
Note: Some high-income donors of large gifts may
have to include the capital gains in an alternative minimum tax (AMT)
calculation. For more information, donors are advised to check with
their tax advisors.
It is important to note that the donor who wishes
to make a gift of securities that have decreased in value is well
advised to sell the securities himself and make a gift of cash to CASA.
The donor may then claim an income tax deduction for the loss as well
as a charitable contribution deduction for the gift.
Top
A
Gift of Real Estate
A
donor may make an outright gift of a personal residence, ranch, or farm
to CASA, or may reserve the right to live in the house or to continue
farming the property for as long as the donor and/or named beneficiary
lives. If the gift is irrevocable, the donor may take an immediate
income tax deduction based on the present value of the remainder
interest to CASA.
Top
A
Gift through Life Insurance
Life insurance policies provide donors width
additional ways of making generous gifts to CASA. A donor may name CASA
as a beneficiary, co-beneficiary, or contingent beneficiary of an
existing policy, or add CASA as a remainder beneficiary in case the
primary beneficiaries do not survive the policyholder. A donor may give
ownership of a paid-up policy to CASA and enjoy a tax deduction, or may
purchase a policy and irrevocably name CASA as owner and beneficiary.
Both guarantee a large future gift for CASA. If the donor pays annual
premiums, the donor also enjoys a charitable deduction in the amount of
those premiums.
Top
Life-Income Gifts
There are many ways donors may make a generous
gift of cash, securities, or real estate to CASA and retain life
incomes for themselves and one or more beneficiaries. Such gifts made
during the lifetime of the donors provide sustained income and a
charitable contribution deduction on the donors' income taxes. When
appreciated securities are used to fund such gifts, taxes on the gain
may be avoided, although some high-income taxpayers may be subject to
an alternative minimum tax (AMT). Here too, donors are advised to
consult their tax advisors. Such gifts may also result in substantial
saving in estate tax and probate costs when the donors die.
A
Pooled Income Fund Gift
CASA accepts gifts to Pooled Income Funds. A donor
makes a gift in cash or appreciated securities and receives a
life-income in return, as well as an immediate income tax deduction. A
trustee invests pooled Income Funds, and contributors receive a pro
rata share of the earnings of the Funds each year. When the donor dies,
his or her shares are transferred from a fund to CASA (either the
chapter or the national sector, whichever the donor selected).
Top
Charitable
Gift Annuity
A donor may transfer cash, securities, or other property to CASA for
the purpose of setting up a charitable gift annuity that guarantees the
beneficiary a fixed income for life, some of which may be tax free. The
donor receives a charitable deduction in the year the gift is made.
(The size of the deduction is based on the amount given, the annual
income, and the age of the beneficiary and is computed using actuarial
tables. A donor may avoid or delay capital gains tax when giving
long-term property that has risen in value.
Top
A
Charitable Remainder Trust
A donor may create a life-income trust, which
provides the donor and any beneficiaries with either a fixed income
through a charitable remainder annuity trust or a variable income
through a charitable remainder annuity trust. For the donor to take
advantage of the favorable tax treatment, such a trust agreement must
conform to all applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations and
should be drafted by a qualified professional.
Top
Gifts
by Will
Many friends make gifts to CASA annually. Those gifts may be
perpetuated by will. A gift by will may take one of the following
forms: A bequest of cash,
securities, or property in a specific sum or by percentage; a bequest
of real estate, for example, a home, farm, ranch, or summer cabin; a
testamentary charitable remainder trust, created by placing all or a
portion of the estate in trust to benefit family members during their
lives, with the principal to be transferred to CASA at the termination
of the trust
The following are the correct forms to
use when making a bequest to CASA: When the donor intends to make a
bequest to CASA, the following form is recommended: "I give, devise,
and bequeath to CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc. the sum of _________
dollars." (Or designate the percentage of the estate or otherwise
describe the gift.) When the donor intends to make a bequest to the
national sector for its Endowment Fund, the following form is
recommended: "I give, devise, and bequeath to National CASA Association
the sum of ____________ dollars." (Or designate the percentage of the
estate or otherwise describe the gift.) A bequest may be divided
between a chapter and the national sector.
Top
Honor
and Memorial Gifts
A meaningful way to honor a loved one or to
commemorate a special occasion is through a memorial gift to CASA. An
expression of sympathy or a celebration of a family event that takes
the form of a gift to CASA provides a lasting remembrance. It will be
appropriately acknowledged to the family. A gift to CASA may endure
beyond an individual's lifetime. It can be an investment in the future.
Top
Tax
Advantages
A person chooses to make a gift to CASA because of
a belief in the work CASA has done and continues to do. But once the
decision to contribute has been made, it is important that the donor
plan the gift to obtain the maximum tax and financial benefits.
The government encourages charitable giving by
allowing generous tax deductions that actually serve to reduce the cost
of a gift or to enable the donor to make a more generous gift. For this
reason, the prospective donor is urged to consult with his or her
attorney or tax adviser regarding the latest rules and the methods of
giving that are most advantageous. Each donor's thoughtfulness is very
much appreciated, and a gift, however it is made, will be acknowledged
with gratitude on behalf of those who will benefit from it.
|
