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.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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