Help Others through Gift Planning
Gift planning services provide ways to make significant or lasting gifts that meet your philanthropic needs. They can also offer attractive ways to reduce your taxes or receive income during your lifetime. Learn more about:
- Bequests
- Stocks and Appreciated Securities
- Life Insurance Gifts
- Pension Funds, Life Insurance & IRA Beneficiaries
- Charitable Gift Annuities
- Charitable Trusts
- Emergency Economic Stabliization Act of 2008
Bequests
Gifts given through your Will or Trust naming the American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter as one beneficiary of your estate. Gifts are typically given as a percentage, fixed amount or residual of the estate. 
See our suggested bequest language.
Specific Language for your Bequest
Outright Bequest
"I give, devise, and bequeath to the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2916 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85716, $______ or ____% of my estate to be used for (general purposes OR write your specific purpose here.)"
Residual Bequest
"I give, devise, and bequeath to the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2916 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85716, ____% of the residual of my estate to be used for (general purposes OR write your specific purpose here.)"
Contingent Bequest
"In the even that ___________ predeceases me, I give, devise, and bequeath his/her share of my estate to the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2916 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85716, $______ or ____% of my estate to be used for (general purposes OR write your specific purpose here.)"
Hide suggested bequest languageStocks & Appreciated Securities
Gifts transferred directly to us prior to sale can avoid capital gains taxes and offer a deduction for the entire worth.
See our stock transfer instructions.
How to Give a Gift of Stock
1. Initiate the Stock Transfer
There are two common methods of making a gift of securities to the American Red Cross. You can ask your broker to transfer shares electronically using the Red Cross DTC number. Or you may simply mail the paper certificates to the Red Cross Treasury. Either method is acceptable, but it is necessary for you to contact your broker to initiate the transfer. Visit www.redcrosslegacy.org/donatestock to download a sample broker letter for your use.
2. Choose How to Send the Securities to the Red Cross.
A. Send Electronically, or...
Donate your stock to the Red Cross through Muriel Siebert and Co., Inc., and they will sell the stock commission-free through the Siebert Charitable Stock Donation Program.
Muriel Siebert and Co., Inc.
c/o National Financial Services
DTC Number: 0226
ACCT Name: American Red Cross (Tax
ID# 53-0196605)
ACCT Number: [Please call Jennifer M. Tersigni, Director of Major & Planned Giving, at (520) 319-3673 for the account number.]
B. Send by Mail.
Mail your unendorsed certificate(s) with a stock waiver form and stock power form (both forms are available through www.redcrosslegacy.org/donatestock or by calling 1-800-797-8022, ext. 5) in separate envelopes by registered mail to:
American Red Cross
Treasury Operations
2025 E Street NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
3. Let Us Know About Your Generosity
Whichever method you choose to deliver your generous gift of stock, you’ll need to provide the American Red Cross with some information about the gift for audit and acknowledgment purposes. Please complete the Stock Gift Notification Form online at www.redcrosslegacy.org/stockform, or send us an e-mail to communicate the following information at the time of transfer:
- Donor’s full name and complete address
- Name and number of securities transferred
- Name of brokerage house through which shares will be transferred (i.e., Muriel Siebert or Morgan Stanley)
- Date of the transfer
- Specific American Red Cross program or chapter to which your gift should be directed (i.e, "Southern Arizona Chapter").
Mail: American Red Cross / Gift Planning Office / PO Box 75156 / Washington, DC 20013-0156
E-mail: plndgiving@usa.redcross.org
Phone: 1-800-797-8022, ext. 5
Fax: 202-303-6599
Thank you for supporting the lifesaving efforts of your local American Red Cross.
Life Insurance Policy Donations
A great way to give a really big gift to a charity without spending a lot of money. Here's how it works:
- A donor works with us and a life insurance company to purchase a life insurance policy with a cash value and death benefit and names us as the policy holder.
- The donor agrees to make tax deductible donations to charity for the purpose of paying the policy premiums until the policy is paid in full.
- The donor takes a tax deduction for each gift sused to purchase the life insurance policy in the year the gift was made.
- The charity owns the policy and can either redeem it for cash value or wait until the insured has passed and receive the full death benefit.
Beneficiary of Pension Funds, 401K, Life Insurance Policies, & IRAs
To name the American Red Cross as your beneficiary, simply request a change of beneficiary form from your life insurance company. To benefit our local Chapter, choose the percentage and name the American Red Cross, Southern Arizona Chapter, 2916 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85716. To designate the national organization as the beneficiary, please name the American National Red Cross, Washington, DC. Please return the form directly to your company, and send us a copy for our records.
Charitable Gift Annuities
Through a charitable gift annuity, you can receive a tax deduction, earn a fixed income each year for the rest of your life, and name the American Red Cross as the beneficiary of any principle after the lifetime of the annuitants. Many people find this to be an attractive way to supplement their retirement income. You can choose to purchase an annuity for you or someone you love, or you can purchase it for two lives. The assets of the charitable organization protect your payments. With rates as high as 9.5% and the ability to fund a gift annuity with stocks, bonds or cash, this may be an attractive opportunity for you.
Use our online tools to discover your tax and income benefits!
AMERICAN RED CROSS GIFT ANNUITY SAMPLE RATES
| Age | Red Cross Pays |
|---|---|
| 65 | 5.3% |
| 70 | 5.7% |
| 75 | 6.3% |
| 80 | 7.1% |
| 85 | 8.1% |
| 90 & Up | 9.5% |
Charitable Trusts
There are a number of different kinds of Charitable Trusts. All are non-revocable trusts that can either provide you or someone you love with payments during your lifetime, or it can reserve your funds — while eliminating or reducing certain taxes — until passed on to your heirs. Assets from the trust protect or ensure your payments rather than the charity, making trust administration an important consideration for these gifts. A Charitable Trust can name survivors and delineate the American Red Cross as the beneficiary and/or trustee. Many people find this to be an attractive way to supplement income, and to benefit younger survivors. With the ability to fund a trust with stocks, bonds, cash or real estate, this may be an attractive opportunity for you.
A Charitable Remainder Trust can offer an income each year for a fixed term either with a fixed rate (charitable remainder annuity trust) or with a variable rate that resets annually (charitable remainder unitrust). Either trust makes payments to you during your lifetime and reserves the remaining trust principle for the charity.
A Charitable Lead Trust gives assets to the charity of your choice during your lifetime, and makes payments to the charity. Upon death, the principle is returned for distribution to your heirs.
Use our online tools to discover your tax and income benefits!
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
In October 2008, the House approved and President Bush signed a historic $700 billion bailout or rescue plan. The legislation implementing the plan contains important provisions relating to charitable giving.
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the main feature of which is the bailout package, also extends certain portions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 that expired on 12/31/2007. The centerpiece of the legislation from a gift planning perspective is the IRA Rollover.
This law provides that, in each of the years 2008 and 2009, an owner of a traditional or Roth IRA may instruct the trustee to distribute directly to a public charity up to $100,000 without the distribution being included in taxable income, and that distribution will count toward the IRA owner's mandatory withdrawal amount.
To qualify for IRA rollover treatment, the donor must direct the IRA manager to transfer funds directly to a charity. A withdrawal followed by a contribution will still have to be reported as income. The donor must be at least age 70 1/2 and the donee must be a tax-exempt organization to which deductible contributions can be made. Donor-advised funds and supporting organizations are not eligible.
This law does not include the terms of proposed legislation such as the Public Good IRA Rollover Act. Therefore, the gift must be outright; rollovers to a planned gift, such as a gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust, do not qualify. Similarly, outright distributions to a charity from employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as Simple IRAs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s, do not qualify. Also note that IRA rollovers may be includable in a donor's income for state and local tax purposes and may not earn an offsetting charitable deduction, depending on state and local law.
For more information, or to discuss a planned gift, please contact Jennifer M. Tersigni, Director of Major & Planned Giving, at (520) 319-3673 or jennifer@redcrossarizona.org.