The Lutheran Community Foundation accepts most assets as gifts, including cash, securities, real estate and retirement assets. There are a number of creative ways you can make a planned gift to support your organizational or congregational endowment, and each comes with its own set of tax advantages. Consider these tools for giving:
Direct Gifts
Direct gifts can be made using cash, publicly traded securities, real estate, or closely held stock. These gifts provide immediate financial support to the charities and causes you designate.
Life Insurance
Life insurance often allows you to make a significantly larger charitable gift than might be possible using your current assets.
Bequests in Will
Bequests can be made of the assets you own at the time of your death by simply naming the Foundation in your will or living trust. The benefit to your designated charitable causes occurs upon your death. You can also name the Foundation as beneficiary of assets such as life insurance, annuities or retirement assets.
Real Estate with Lifetime Use
You can make a gift of property while retaining use and enjoyment of it as long as you live.
Types of properties: Residence, Vacation property, Farm.
Gifts providing a stream of income
Gift Annuity
A gift annuity is a simple written agreement that allows you to make a gift of cash and/or securities to the Foundation and receive guaranteed payments for life and a charitable deduction.
Charitable Remainder Trusts
With charitable remainder trusts, your gift assets are used to create a trust that makes regular payments to you. These payments can be made for your lifetime, for a fixed term of up to 20 years, or a combination. At the end of the trust, the remainder benefits charity. You receive a charitable deduction for a portion of the gift. With gifts of appreciated securities and real estate, you can bypass capital gains.
Annuity Trust - With an annuity trust, you make a one-time gift and receive a fixed annual income for life or a term of years, or a combination. You can establish a charitable remainder annuity trust with cash and/or publicly traded stocks. The gift minimum is $50,000.
Unitrust - With a unitrust, you can make multiple gifts using a combination of assets and in return receive regular payments. The gift minimum is $100,000 for cash or publicly traded securities, and $200,000 for real estate or closely held stock.
