There are a variety of gift planning opportunities that can help you have a greater impact with your giving. You don’t have to be wealthy – planned gifts are beneficial for people at a variety of income levels. Here are a few ideas:
Bequests
The simplest of all planned gifts is to include ECS in your will. Don’t have a will? You should. No matter what your age, it’s a good idea. A will can protect your spouse, children and other survivors while also helping you leave a legacy in accordance with your values.
Life Income Gifts
Maintaining adequate income in retirement is a growing challenge. Life income gifts can help. For instance, a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) is much like a traditional commercial annuity in that it converts a lump sum into guaranteed lifelong income. However, in the case of a CGA, the charity receives the lump sum as an irrevocable gift. This generates a tax deduction in the first year and lifetime income, some of which is also tax-deductible. In the case of a Charitable Remainder Trust, such an arrangement may be made to benefit the donor or another person for either the donor’s lifetime of a fixed period.
Charitable Lead Trusts
Funds put in trust for purposes of estate planning or for later use can be donated to a charity like ECS for a certain period of time to reduce taxable income, then returned to the donor or heirs.
For further information about these or any planned gifts, please contact Kim Shiley, director of development and communications, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 215.351.1460.