On this page we provide a list of various ways of giving, as well as a link to a gift calculator. To discuss your individual philanthropic goals and financial requirements, or to request information related to specific methods of giving, please call Downstate’s Department of Institutional Advancement and Philanthropy at 718.270.4418.
If you’re planning on making a cash gift, you can do this immediately using your credit card and our Giving Online Page.
Ways to Give:
Charitable Remainder Trust
What are your plans for the future? While there is no single way to achieve all of your personal and financial goals, there is one strategy that can meet many of your needs. It's called a charitable remainder trust. In the right circumstances, this plan can increase your income, reduce your taxes, unlock appreciated investments, rid you of investment worries and ultimately provide very important support.
Charitable Gift Annuity
The concept of the charitable gift annuity in America dates back to the 1870s, when a parishioner first donated a valuable asset to the church in exchange for a flow of income. Today, the concept includes valuable tax benefits for donors.
Bequests
Leave your legacy by making a gift in your will to friends, family and charitable organizations. A bequest is one of the simplest ways to remember those you care about most.
Charitable Lead Trust
If your goal is to provide an inheritance for your children, but you would also like to make a significant charitable gift through your estate, find out how a charitable lead trust can help you satisfy both objectives. It's a charitable lead trust that can provide a significant charitable gift through your estate and provide an inheritance to your children.
Retained Life Estate
One of your valued possessions, your home, can become a valued gift to us even while you are still living in it, and even if you want your spouse or other survivor to live there for life. This arrangement is called a retained life estate.
Pooled Income Fund
When you contribute to the pooled income fund for our organization, you receive an income for the rest of your life, as well as a current income tax deduction. You make a meaningful gift to us—a gift that also gives back to you.
Wealth Replacement Trust
Perhaps you would like to make a sizable contribution to us now to help meet our current needs, but you don't want to reduce the estate you will pass to your family. The solution? Purchase life insurance.
Which Gift Matches Your Goals?
There is a gift for every objective. Find out which gift is right for you.
What to Give:
Gifts of Cash
The simplest way to give. However, you can deduct a cash gift for income tax purposes only in the year in which you contribute it. Your cash gifts are deductible up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income for the taxable year, but any excess is deductible over the next five years.
Gifts of Real Estate
If you own property that is fully paid off and has appreciated in value, an outright gift may be the simplest solution. You can deduct the fair market value of your gift, avoid all capital gains taxes and remove that asset from your taxable estate. You can transfer the deed of your home or farm to us now and keep the right to use the property for your lifetime and that of your spouse.
Gifts of Securities
The best stocks to donate are those that have increased greatly in value, particularly those producing a low yield. Even if it is stock you wish to keep in your portfolio, by giving us the stock and using cash to buy the same stock through your broker, you will have received the same income tax deduction but will have a new, higher basis in the stock.
Gifts of Life Insurance
You can donate a life insurance policy to us or simply name us as the beneficiary. For the gift of a paid-up policy, you will receive an income tax deduction equal to the lesser of the cash value of the policy or the total premiums paid. To qualify for the federal charitable contribution deduction on a gift of an existing policy, you must name us as owner and beneficiary.
Gifts of Retirement Plan Assets
Did you know that nearly half your retirement plan assets can be eaten away by taxes at your death? Learn how to preserve more of your estate for the people and organizations that matter most in your life.
Gifts of Securities: Closely Held Stock
Closely held stock, that which is not publicly traded, can also be used as a charitable gift even if you want to maintain a control position in the stock.
