The 1932 Club Planned Giving Program

With a gift of cash, you can make a simple gift and qualify for an income tax charitable deduction.

There’s a reason cash gifts are so popular! Consider the following:

• Your gift (cash, check, or credit card) will make an immediate impact on our important work.
• The full amount of your gift is tax deductible if you itemize—your actual tax savings depends on the amount of your gift and your marginal income tax bracket.
• While you cannot deduct more than 60% of your adjusted gross income in the year of the gift, you can carry over any excess deduction for up to five years.
• Because so many donors make cash gifts every year, the combined impact is an extremely significant and vital part of our ongoing work.

Evaluate the fit.

A cash gift is a good option if you:

• Received extra cash this year (say, from a bonus, inheritance, winnings, etc.)
• Want to secure a current charitable income tax deduction
• Want to make an easy gift you can repeat year after year

Keep in mind that while a cash gift makes the same impact on our work as other types of gifts, you may not want to make a cash gift simply out of habit. Other gifts can provide you with various types of tax and planning benefits that are worth exploring from time to time.

See how it works.

Jonah receives a modest inheritance from a relative. Since he has already decided to make a gift to our organization this year in almost exactly that amount, it is very simple to make an online donation of that inheritance money. We send Jonah the proper acknowledgment of his gift, and he uses that to secure an income tax deduction when he itemizes.

Consider your timing.

If you want to qualify for a charitable deduction this year, you’re in luck—you can make a donation at any time up to December 31. Mailed checks must be postmarked by December 31 (but don’t forget that some post offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays).

We can help.

If you are interested in exploring other gift options, please reach out to us. We are always available to discuss charitable gift planning and/or to send you helpful information.

OPTION 1—an outright gift of appreciated stock

Appreciated stock offers powerful tax benefits as an outright gift or as funding for a life income gift.

You may find that giving appreciated stock (held for more than one year) lets you make the biggest impact for the lowest cost. Consider the double tax benefit:

• You qualify for an immediate income tax charitable deduction for the full value of the stock if you itemize.
• You owe no capital gains tax on the appreciation.

Note that your deduction for long-term appreciated stock is 30% of your adjusted gross income. Any excess deduction can be carried over for up to five years.

Publicly traded stocks are the most commonly donated appreciated securities, but you could also give bonds, mutual fund shares, or closely held stock.

OPTION 2—funding a life-income gift with appreciated stock

Another option is to use appreciated stock to fund a life-income gift, such as a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust. Benefits include:

• You qualify for an income tax deduction (if you itemize) in the year of the gift.
• You create an income stream to supplement other sources of retirement income—income that is likely to be higher than any dividends you might be receiving from the stock.
• You may be able to reduce or spread out the payment of capital gains tax on the appreciation.

Evaluate the fit.

Appreciated stock may be a particularly good option to consider if you:

• Have stock you want to sell, but you don’t want to pay tax on the significant appreciation
• Want to rebalance your portfolio
• Want to employ one of the most powerful gifting options with double tax benefits

See how it works.

For the past few years, Jennifer has given us a check for $10,000. This year, she realizes that the growth of some of her stocks has caused her investment portfolio to become too heavily weighted in equities. She decides to give us stock worth $10,000 that she purchased years ago for $1,000. If Jennifer itemizes, she can take a deduction for the full $10,000, even though $9,000 of it has never been taxed. In her 37% tax bracket, the tax savings are substantial.

Consider your timing.

If you want to qualify for a charitable deduction this year, you should initiate the stock transfer by Monday, December 22, 2025. You can also give mutual fund shares, but these gifts take longer—initiate by December 1 to ensure sufficient time for a year-end gift.

We can help.

We can provide you and your advisors with the information you need to choose a gift with maximum benefits, including an illustration that will clearly represent the anticipated financial and tax benefits of your hypothetical gift.

With a gift from your IRA, you have a few options for making a powerful impact.

OPTION 1—an outright gift

This is a qualified charitable distribution you can make every year if you wish. You may find it appealing if you would like to make an immediate gift that counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD). It works like this:

• If you are an IRA owner age 70½ or older, you can direct a transfer from your IRA directly to us.
• The gift does not qualify for an income tax deduction, but any amount up to the annual aggregate limit ($108,000 in 2025) is tax free.
• The gift counts toward your RMD if one is due (generally, beginning at age 73).
• Your gift has an immediate impact on our work, and you can make this gift every year if you choose.

OPTION 2—life income gift

This one-time qualified charitable distribution lets you make a gift that counts toward your RMD and also creates a new income stream for retirement. It works like this:

• If you are an IRA owner age 70½ or older, you can direct a transfer from your IRA to create a new charitable gift annuity (CGA) or charitable remainder trust (CRT).
• The gift does not qualify for an income tax deduction, but any amount up to the limit ($54,000 in 2025) is tax free.
• The gift counts toward your RMD if one is due (generally beginning at age 73).
• Spouses may contribute up to $54,000 each from their own IRAs into a single CRT or a joint-life CGA.
• Income payments may only go to the IRA owner and the owner’s spouse and are taxed at ordinary income tax rates.
• This is not an annual gift—you may only use this option once.

Keep in mind that some of the rules and requirements differ if you fund the CGA or CRT from your IRA.

OPTION 3—a charitable beneficiary designation

You may prefer this option if you want to make a comfortable future gift that costs you nothing today. It works like this:

• At any age, ask your IRA custodian for a Change of Beneficiary form.
• You can name our organization as the sole beneficiary or percentage beneficiary.
• You pay nothing now and retain the right to change your gift if your needs and goals change.
• At your death, we will receive the designated assets from your IRA.

Evaluate the fit.

A gift from your IRA may be a particularly good option to consider if you:

• Are an IRA owner age 70½ or older
• Want to avoid paying tax on a required minimum distribution you don’t need
• Want to establish a source of fixed income payments to supplement other income streams in retirement
• Are looking for a flexible, easy way to make a significant future gift

See how it works.

Pat, age 75, is required to take a taxable IRA distribution of $15,000 this year. Pat wants to support our work and decides to make a qualified charitable distribution, transferring $15,000 directly from the IRA to us. The transfer counts toward Pat’s RMD, satisfying the distribution requirement, but no tax is due on the distribution. The full amount of the transfer supports our mission—nothing is lost to taxes!

This year, Sam (age 75) makes a one-time, tax-free QCD of $54,000 to fund a charitable gift annuity with us—an easy way to make a powerful impact on our work. Sam will receive an annual payment of $3,780 for life, and these payments are taxable each year. If Sam had decided to personally receive the $54,000 distribution this year instead of using it for a QCD, the full amount would have been currently taxable.

Consider your timing.

An outright gift from your IRA can usually be accomplished if you begin the process in early December. The one-time, life-income option may require a bit more time to set up the CGA or CRT. A beneficiary designation is quick and easy to make at any time.

We can help.

We can provide you with more information about any of these options for using your IRA assets to make a gift. You will work directly with your IRA custodian to accomplish these gifts, but please let us know so we can provide substantiation for your qualified charitable distributions. If you make a beneficiary designation, we would like the opportunity to thank you.

With a donor-advised fund (DAF), you can make a gift now, receive a current income tax deduction, and retain the flexibility to recommend gifts later when the time is right.

You may find that using a DAF provides a simple, meaningful way to benefit our organization and other charities you support. Consider the following:

• You establish a DAF with a single donation and can make additional donations later if you wish. Most DAFs will accept assets beyond cash and securities, sometimes including real estate, cryptocurrency, or closely held stock.
• The donor-advised fund then owns those assets and administers the fund—you no longer need to manage the money.
• This arrangement allows you to qualify for an immediate charitable income tax deduction for the amount contributed to the DAF, even though the money hasn’t been distributed to charity yet.
• You have advisory privileges, meaning that at some point in the future, you can recommend (but not require) gifts to be distributed to specific charities.

Evaluate the fit.

Donor-advised funds may be a particularly good option to consider if you:

• Want to make a large, tax-deductible contribution this year to offset increased income
• Haven’t yet fully established your charitable goals, so would like flexibility in making future gifts
• Would find it beneficial to segment your charitable funds from your other assets
• Would like to donate a more complex non-cash asset that your intended charitable recipient(s) cannot accept

See how it works.

Five years ago, Steve earned a significant year-end bonus. He knew he wanted to use that money for a charitable purpose, but he wasn’t yet sure where he wanted to have an impact, and he had little time to decide. He chose to donate the full amount to a DAF, which ensured an immediate and much-needed charitable income tax deduction. The DAF invested the assets and retained ultimate authority over any distributions.

This year, Steve’s nephew benefited from our organization. Steve uses his advisory privileges to recommend a grant from the DAF to us to help fund that particular program going forward. The DAF distributes the recommended gift to us (they are not obligated to do so, but in most cases, they will follow Steve’s recommendations).

Consider your timing.

If you want to qualify for a charitable deduction this year, you should initiate your gift by Friday, December 12, 2025.

We can help.

We can provide you with more information about donor-advised funds and grants to our organization.

Charitable remainder trusts provide income payments before passing remaining assets to charity.

You may find that while there is slightly more effort and expense involved in setting up a trust, it can be an extremely useful and flexible way to:

• Reduce income taxes
• Convert appreciated assets into a lifetime income stream
• Bypass the capital gains tax
• Benefit our organization and other personally meaningful charities
• Make a gift now or in your will

It works like this:

• You transfer money or property to the irrevocable trust (often non-producing appreciated property held for over one year), removing the property from your estate.
• You pay no capital gains tax on the transfer.
• You qualify for an immediate income tax deduction (if you itemize) for our estimated remainder interest.
• You name the income beneficiaries—yourself, your spouse, or anyone you choose.
• The trustee manages the assets and pays out an income for life or for a set number of years (up to 20) to you and/or other named beneficiaries. Income payments typically equal 5% of the trust value, but you can set the amount within legal limits.
• At the end of the trust term, the trust pays out the remaining assets to us (or other named charitable beneficiaries).

Evaluate the fit.

A CRT may be a particularly good option to consider if you want to:

• Make a major gift and gain immediate income tax benefits, all without a loss of spendable income
• Make a significant property gift but don’t want to lose the income produced by the asset
• Convert an appreciated asset into an income stream

Older donors interested in the steady income of a charitable remainder annuity trust should compare the trust with a charitable gift annuity, which may be able to provide higher income payments.

If you want to provide for your family and us after your death, a CRUT you create in your will (often called a “give it twice” trust) is worth considering.

See how it works.

Ginny transfers highly appreciated assets worth $400,000 to a charitable remainder trust, specifying that $20,000 will be paid to her each year for as long as she lives. When Ginny dies, the remaining property in the trust will be distributed to our organization. By using a CRT to make her gift to us, Ginny receives a few important benefits:

• An annual income of $20,000 for life
• An immediate and substantial income tax deduction if she itemizes
• No capital gains tax due when she transfers the appreciated property to the trust or even when the trustee sells the property to fund the income payments

Consider your timing.

If you want to qualify for a charitable deduction this year, you should initiate the transfer of the assets to the trust as early as November to ensure everything is properly established by the end of the year.

We can help.

We would be happy to discuss how you can tailor a charitable remainder trust to meet your personal or family needs. We can also provide you with the estimated deduction amount that would be available for your gift (the amount depends partly on the applicable federal rate, which changes every month), as well as the estimated income payment amount.

With a gift in your will, you can make a powerful future gift that costs you nothing today.

You may find that making a gift in your will is an easy way to meet your charitable goals—perhaps even allowing you to make a more substantial gift than would otherwise be possible. Consider the following:

• It is simple to include a charitable gift when you write your will.
• It is almost as easy to add a gift to an existing will—you can use a codicil, so it is not necessary to redo your will to make this addition.
• There is no immediate out-of-pocket cost—you retain full use of your assets during life, so the gift does not impact your current lifestyle.
• This is a comfortable gift because you can change it at any point during your life.
• You can make an unrestricted gift or direct how you want your gift to be used.

You also have flexibility in how you designate your gift. You can choose to give:

• A specific asset or amount
• A percentage of your estate
• What remains of your estate after all other gifts, taxes, and fees have been paid

Evaluate the fit.

A gift in your will may be a particularly good option to consider if you:

• Are interested in a simple, powerful gift that costs you nothing today
• Want the flexibility of a gift you can change in the future if your situation or goals change
• Are seeking ways to reduce any potential estate tax (a gift in your will qualifies for an estate tax charitable deduction)
• Are looking at options to fund an endowment gift, testamentary charitable remainder trust, or testamentary charitable lead trust

See how it works.

Grace wants to include a charitable gift to us in her will. She considers making a specific donation of 100 shares of stock but realizes this gift will surely change in value over time—perhaps significantly. Instead, she decides to leave a percentage gift—40% of her estate to each of her two children and 20% to our organization. When Grace dies, her executor will carry out her wishes by distributing her assets according to her instructions.

Consider your timing.

A gift in your will does not qualify for a charitable income tax deduction, so you can make this gift at any time that is convenient for you.

We can help.

Let us provide you with more information about making a gift in your will.

With a charitable beneficiary designation, you can make a simple future gift that costs you nothing today.

You may find that creating a gift that you can change if you need to is a comfortable, powerful way to make a meaningful gift while keeping control of the gift property for life. The following assets can pass directly by beneficiary designation and not under your will:

• Life insurance policies
• IRAs and other retirement accounts
• Donor-advised funds (allowable for some DAFs, but not all)
• Bank accounts (through a payable-on-death or POD designation)
• Stock and mutual fund shares (through a transfer-on-death or TOD designation)
• Real estate (through a transfer-on-death or TOD designation, allowable in more than half of US states)

A charitable beneficiary designation works like this:

• You name us to receive the remaining assets or proceeds at the time of your death. You can do this at the time you purchase the asset or set up the fund or account, or you can easily create or change beneficiary designations using a change-of-beneficiary form.
• You can choose to name us as the sole beneficiary, a percentage beneficiary (along with one or more heirs or other charitable beneficiaries), or a contingent beneficiary (to receive the assets only if the primary beneficiary cannot).
• We have no rights to the asset/fund/account during your lifetime—we will only receive assets at the time of your death.
• The beneficiary designation is revocable, meaning you can remove or change it at any point during your life.
• Some financial accounts or assets typically pass by will but can pass directly to a named beneficiary if you opt to complete a form to set up a payable-on-death (POD) or transfer-on-death (TOD) designation.

Evaluate the fit.

A charitable beneficiary designation may be a particularly good option to consider if you:

• Want to make a substantial gift but don’t want to commit the assets right now
• Want the ability to continue to use the assets during your life
• Want the peace of mind that comes from knowing you can change the size of the gift (or revoke your gift) if your needs or goals change

See how it works.

Years ago, when David’s wife died, he filed a Change of Beneficiary form on his life insurance policy, making his two grown children the primary beneficiaries and the Bureau of Governmental Research a contingent beneficiary (to receive the proceeds only if his children could not). Now, both children are married with families of their own and are doing well financially. David plans to leave other assets to them and makes us the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy. This allows him to meet his charitable goals while still retaining all his assets for use during retirement. In addition, he knows that if his situation changes, he can easily make another beneficiary change.

Carla adds a POD designation to her checking account and names the Bureau of Governmental Research as the beneficiary. She retains complete control of the account and can change the beneficiary designation again at any time during her life. While the FDIC insures her other accounts and CDs at the same bank for a combined total of $250,000, her POD account has its own $250,000 coverage. At Carla’s death, we must provide a certified copy of her death certificate to claim the money that remains in the account, which will then pass directly from the bank to us without going through probate.

Consider your timing.

Because no charitable deduction is available for this type of future gift, you can create or change a charitable beneficiary designation at any time that works for you.

We can help.

We can answer any questions you may have about this gift option. If you have already named us as the beneficiary of an asset or account, please let us know.