About Planned Giving
Planned gifts, such as those made through a will or estate plan, often allow you to make the biggest impact on the causes you care about most. A planned gift is usually set up to incorporate tax-planning strategies as well as your retirement choices, and can be customized in a wide variety of ways to suit your needs. We’ve partnered with FreeWill: a free estate planning resource to help you write your will and create other important estate planning documents.
Many people think a planned gift is something that is given only through a will or estate plan, and won’t benefit the organization until after they are deceased. However, there are several gift options that allow donors to see the impact of their contribution immediately. Read on for information about Qualified Charitable Distributions, Donor Advised Funds, and stock donations.
For more information on planned gifts, please contact Development Manager Claire Maniti at (925) 426-8656, ext. 117 or fill out our online contact form.
Create Your Legacy
To help you get started on your plans and legacy, you can use FreeWill, an online tool which guides you through the process of creating your will or trust. It’s easy to use, accessible online, and can be completed in 20 minutes. You can use this resource on its own, or use it to document your wishes before finalizing your plans with an attorney.
Do you have an IRA, 401(k), life-insurance policy, or any other assets not included in your will? If so, these are called non-probate assets and you must plan your beneficiaries for them separately. Use this online tool to make your plans and designate Valley Humane Society as a beneficiary of one or more of these assets.
By including a gift to Valley Humane Society in your will or by naming us as a beneficiary, you’re creating a brighter future for cats and dogs. You’ll also join our Legacy Society.
Share Your Legacy
By making a planned gift, whether through a will or by designating Valley Humane Society a beneficiary of your life insurance policy, you are eligible to become part of the growing number of people that, together, make up our Legacy Society.
Have you already included a gift to Valley Humane Society in your will or trust? Please fill out this form to let us know! We would love to thank you for your generosity. A brighter future starts with you!
DAF (Donor Advised Funds)
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are a popular way for donors to provide financial support for the causes they care about. Set aside especially for charitable causes (and with the tax benefit already received), DAFs only need a word from their account holder to release grant funds that can move the mission forward. If you have a DAF with Schwab, Fidelity, or BNY Mellon, you can use our free widget below to recommend Valley Humane Society receive a grant from your DAF today.
QCD (Qualified Charitable Distribution)
At the end and beginning of the calendar year, seasoned donors sometimes ask about making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to Valley Humane Society, a direct transfer from their custodian individual retirement account (IRA), once they turn 70½ years old.
While a QCD is not a tax-deductible donation, it is a distribution that counts towards satisfying your required minimum distribution so long as certain rules are met. A QCD excludes the amount donated from taxable income, which is unlike regular withdrawals from an IRA. When you keep your taxable income lower, this may reduce the impact to certain tax credits and deductions, including Social Security and Medicare. With the passage of the SECURE Act in December 2019, starting January 1, 2020, those donors turning 70 1/2 that make a qualified charitable distribution to Valley Humane Society will have to wait until they turn 72 to have that distribution count towards this year’s required minimum distribution. For those donors that turned 70 1/2 prior to January 1, 2020, your qualified charitable distributions to Valley Humane Society can still count against your required minimum distribution.
Please contact Development Manager Claire Maniti at (925) 426-8656 ext. 117 or sending an email through our contact form to see if you meet the requirements for making a qualified charitable distribution.
Donate Stock
Donating appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to Valley Humane Society is easy. We work closely with our investment banker to receive and sell your transferred securities, then put the proceeds of the sale to work saving animals and issue you a letter that serves as a receipt for your tax-deductible gift. Donating appreciated stocks can reduce the amount of capital gains tax you may be paying, so please consult with your broker on making this gift in the appropriate way. Please use our contact form to email us about planned gifts of stock.
FAQ
Answers to Questions Frequently Asked by Donors/Advisors