Planned Giving Options

There are many ways for you to make a planned gift to UUSC. To discuss how planned gifts to UUSC can be a part of your financial future, please contact Kenneth Dolbashian by calling 617-868-6600 or by sending an e-mail.

Cash Gifts, Pledges and Company Matching Gifts

A large number of gifts to UUSC are made in the form of cash via check, electronic transfer or credit card. Cash gifts may be made as a single contribution or pledged over a long-term period. A charitable income tax deduction is available to U.S. taxpayers who itemize. Click here to make a cash gift or become a UUSC member.

Many companies will match donations made by their employees, directors, employees' spouses and retirees. Check with your company to learn if this additional benefit to UUSC is available.

Non-Cash Assets

Personal assets that can be converted into a gift to UUSC include the following holdings:

• securities such as stocks and bonds
• tangible property
• real estate

When appreciated securities that have been held for more than one year are donated directly to UUSC, the donor can take the current market value of the securities as an itemized charitable deduction. If appreciated securities are given outright, there is no capital gains tax whatsoever, and the entire value constitutes a charitable contribution for tax purposes. Such a gift eliminates capital gains tax liabilities and provides income tax and estate tax savings. To insure this savings, the securities themselves must be donated, not just the proceeds of their sale.

Securities that have depreciated over time are best sold by the donor to establish a capital loss deduction. When the cash proceeds are donated to UUSC, the amount of the gift can be taken as an itemized charitable deduction.

Tangible property can include such items as works of art, jewelry, silver, antiques and coin or stamp collections. A charitable gift of tangible personal property can be very attractive to the individual who has unwanted items that may be costly to insure and perhaps difficult or unprofitable to sell.

A gift of real estate can be another attractive way to make a substantial commitment to UUSC and to realize important tax and income benefits at the same time. You may be able to reduce significantly the amount of income, capital gain or estate taxes you otherwise would have to pay.

Charitable Gift Annuities

A charitable gift annuity is a simple agreement between you and UUSC. In exchange for your irrevocable gift, UUSC will pay you an annual fixed income (in semi-annual installments) for your lifetime. Once an annuity is established, the donor's gift annuity income remains constant and is guaranteed by UUSC. It is not affected by adverse economic conditions. The minimum gift is $10,000, and income beneficiaries must be at least 60 years old.

Deferred Gift Annuities

This variation of the gift annuity allows the donor to defer payments for at least one year. During the period of deferral, interest is compounded so that once payments begin the rate of return is higher than that offered on an immediate annuity. This plan can be advantageous in planning for retirement. You can claim your partial charitable contribution when the gift is made and elect to receive the increased payments when you plan to retire or at some future date chosen by you.

Pooled Income Fund

UUSC's IRS-approved Pooled Income Fund works much like a mutual fund. Your assets are transferred to a fund in which gifts from many UUSC supporters are pooled and invested together in a socially responsible portfolio. The donor receives income for life based on the fund's earnings each year. The donor also receives an immediate income tax charitable deduction and avoids capital gains tax if the gift is funded with appreciated property.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

There are a number of trust arrangements which can be tailored to meet the individual donor's needs and circumstances. The donor transfers cash, securities or other assets to UUSC as trustee. The trust then pays the donor and/or another income recipient either a fixed dollar amount each year or a percentage of the trust's assets each year. In either case, the donor receives an immediate income tax deduction when the trust is established and avoids capital gains tax if funded with appreciated property. At the death of the last beneficiary, the remaining trust assets are transferred to UUSC.

Life Insurance

When a life insurance policy is given to UUSC, the donor can take a charitable deduction for an amount approximately equal to the policy's cash surrender value. Future premium payments paid by the donor are also tax deductible. Another benefit is that the proceeds of the policy are not subject to estate taxes.

IRAs and Pension Plans

An often overlooked asset is the residual value of a retirement plan or IRA account. By naming UUSC as the beneficiary of a part or all of your retirement plan, you can continue to enjoy the income for your and your spouse's lifetimes. Any portion remaining at death will be paid to UUSC. Such a gift may also reduce your estate taxes.

Bequests

A bequest is made through the donor's will. The gift may be cash, securities, real estate or other assets. A bequest to UUSC is fully deductible for purposes of federal estate taxes. While thus reducing or even eliminating the taxes on your estate, the bequest can establish a lasting memorial to you or someone you wish to honor. You can make a bequest to UUSC through your will, or by means of a simple codicil to an existing will, through the following language:

I leave to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, a charitable corporation organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, currently located at 689 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139...

Your gift can be: a set dollar amount; a percentage of your gross estate; or a percentage of your residuary estate. Many people recommend a percentage rather than a set dollar amount since the value of your estate can change from the time your will is written until the estate is settled.

Endowments

An endowment created in honor of — or in memory of — a loved one is a special expression of faith and generosity, and a way to benefit UUSC in perpetuity. The income from the endowment fund is used to support the purpose designated by the donor. Often, donors wish to memorialize a relative or friend.

» View our named endowments

Martha Sharp Cogan Children's Fund and the Children's Wall

The Martha Sharp Cogan Children's Fund is a special endowment created to recognize the work of one of UUSC's early pioneers, and to support programs of service, advocacy and education to improve the lives of poor and oppressed children around the world and in the United States.

Contributors of $1,000 or more to this endowment fund may also honor a child or group of children, whose name(s) will be incorporated into the Children's Wall, a unique ceramic mural installed in the reception area of UUSC headquarters.