Planned Giving

There are several giving vehicles that give you and your estate often substantial tax savings, allow you to support a charity you believe in, and still guarantee the financial security of your heirs. They include giving through your estate with a charitable bequest or a gift of retirement plan assets, or setting up a gift annuity. Planned giving can significantly reduce estate, income and gift taxes, allowing you to benefit your chosen charities, while having your estate realize significant tax advantages.

The simplest method of planned giving is making a Charitable Bequest. You can name Helen Keller International in your will, specifying the kind of gift you wish to give (cash or stocks for example). Bequests should be stated in clear, simple language such as:

"I give, devise and bequeath to Helen Keller International, a nonprofit organization, the sum of $ _____________ (or specific asset) for its general purposes."

You can also set up a Gift Annuity so that, in exchange for a gift of cash, securities, or other assets, HKI will pay you (and one heir, if you choose) a fixed sum each year of life, in annual, semi-annual or quarterly installments. The payments are guaranteed by the general resources of HKI and depend on the age of the annuitants. In most cases, part of each payment is tax-free, or taxed at lower rates than other income. In addition, you may benefit from gift, estate, and capital gains tax savings.

Gifts from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) also have several benefits. Tax-favored retirement plans such as 401(k) and 403(b) allow you to put money aside on a tax-free basis for retirement. When these monies become part of your estate, however, they are vulnerable to extraordinary, multiple-tax liability, subject to both estate tax and income tax. At the top of the federal and state tax scale, the rate of taxation on IRA monies can be a staggering 70% to 80%. One way to lower these taxes is to make a tax-deductible, outright bequest of remaining IRA monies by simply naming Helen Keller International in your will, specifying the kind of gift you wish to give.

For more information about any of these planned giving vehicles, please contact:

Helen Keller International
352 Park Avenue South, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10010

Telephone: + 212-532-0544
Toll-free: 1-877/KELLER4 (1-877-535-5374)

Click here to e-mail.

*This site provides general information on gift, estate and financial planning. It is not intended to constitute legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice. For assistance with planned giving options, the services of qualified professionals should be obtained.