Ways to Give
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Wills and Estate Plans
If you would like to name the Lexington Rescue Mission as a beneficiary in your will, or an estate planning instrument, it's as simple as incorporating the following language:
"I bequeath the sum of $_______ or ____% of my estate to the Lexington Rescue Mission, Attn: Development, P.O. Box 1050, Lexington, Ky 40588, to be used for its work in support of homeless men women and children."
If you have already included the Lexington Rescue Mission in your will, please let us know so we can say “thank you.”
If you have more questions, please e-mail Erin Cress, our Director of Development, or call her at (859) 381-9600, ext. 242.
Stocks and Mutual Funds
As you may already know, the benefits of donating appreciated securities (either stocks or mutual funds) are tremendous. You can avoid paying capital gain tax on the appreciation, and you also get to deduct the full fair market value of the security at the time of gift. This is an excellent way to leverage your gift in support of great Christian causes.
If you are interested in donating securities, you may electronically transfer them directly to Lexington Rescue Mission's account at the National Christian Foundation of Kentucky. Simply give your broker this form. Please be sure to contact us once your transfer is complete. We want to thank you personally and provide you with an acknowledgment letter for your tax purposes.
Retirement Plans
Because your qualified retirement plans, including IRA, 401(k), 403(b), Keogh and SEP, are considered part of your taxable estate at death, they may be subject to taxes in excess of 70 percent. Careful planning can help you minimize or even eliminate these taxes. Amounts left from retirement plans for charitable use are still included in the taxable estate, but they are fully deductible from the estate as charitable gifts.
Rather than see retirement assets diluted by taxes, you can direct these assets to be used to make charitable gifts from your estate. After you have discussed your estate and financial plans with your advisor and decide to make a gift from your retirement assets, the procedure is very simple. Ask your retirement plan administrator for a Change of Beneficiary form, and indicate the amount or percentage you would like to go to charity. Simply insert Lexington Rescue Mission’s name and the amount to be given to the ministry. You can change your beneficiary designation or distributions at any time. If you would like more detailed information about this process, feel free to contact us.
Life Insurance
Life insurance may be one of your many assets. It’s an asset that could also add flexibility to your charitable giving plans. Sometimes life changes alter your life insurance needs. You may currently own previously purchased policies that are no longer necessary. These policies could play a major role in your charitable giving plans.
Examples of unnecessary policies include:
- A policy on your life to protect a spouse for whom it is no longer necessary or a child who is now financially independent.
- A policy bought to guarantee that money will be available for your children’s education, but their education was paid by some other means.
- A policy purchased to protect a business that no longer exists or no longer needs protection.
These life insurance policies may be considered “obsolete” and don’t need to be held. While the policies may not benefit you for the purpose for which they were originally intended, they could assist you in meeting other goals.
Benefits of donating to a charitable organization through your life insurance:
- The gift is immediate, which also gives you immediate tax deductions.
- Your confidentiality is assured, as life insurance is not a matter of public record.
- A gift of life insurance is flexible and can be designed to meet your giving desires.
If you are interested in making a charitable donation through your life insurance, please contact us to discuss the details.
Real Estate
Gifting real estate to the Lexington Rescue Mission is an excellent way to help the ministry further its mission. If you own property and wish to make a charitable gift, you may find real estate gifting an efficient way to accomplish your goal. You will appreciate our thorough review procedure for this type of asset giving because every real estate gift is unique.
Someone who donates real estate that has been held for more than one year is generally entitled to an income tax deduction equal to the full fair market value of the contributed property. Also, the donor can avoid the capital gain tax on the appreciated portion of the property that would have been taxable if the property was sold. Estate tax savings as well as avoiding probate are other possible benefits. If you would like more information, please contact us to discuss the details.
What You Need to Know
Please share with your advisor
Lexington Rescue Mission is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the state of Kentucky.
Our tax identification number is 61-1387338.
Our address is P.O. Box 1050, Lexington, KY 40588