This is an adaptation of an article prepared last year by Thrivent. It is reprinted here in edited version with appreciation for all you help to make possible for the animals coming to Humane Society Naples for care.
Are you revisiting your financial plan in preparation for the new year? A charitable giving plan can be a key component of your overall financial strategy. With the right tools and resources, you can make the most of all that you’ve been given and potentially realize tax efficiencies.
Here are five simple steps you can take to put your generosity into action or revisit your existing giving strategy.
1) Define your giving goals. Good plans start with goals. What do you want to achieve or express through your generosity? Consider these questions to help you get started:
- Your passions: What makes your heart soar?
- Your dreams for tomorrow: If you could change one thing about what the world looks like in the future, what would it be? How could you make an impact in this area?
- Your guiding values and faith: What values do you want to express through your giving? How does your faith influence how you give?
If you already have a charitable plan, your preferences for giving may have evolved. Determine whether your goals are still relevant and examine potential patterns of your giving. What might you change or add to your list of passions, dreams, and values?
2) Identify what giving option(s) may work best for you. Whether you’re contributing to an existing fund or creating a new charitable fund, there are several ways to make a gift:
- Give Now: You can utilize cash, appreciated securities, real estate, or … DAFs, IRA rollovers or other assets to make an immediate charitable gift.
- Give Later: A Give Later gift allows you to keep control of your assets (such as beneficiary proceeds or life insurance) while living and make a significant gift upon death.
- Give & Receive: Perhaps you’re approaching retirement and could benefit from ongoing income support in this next phase of your life. Through charitable gift annuities and remainder trusts, you make a charitable gift and receive ongoing income payments for life or a term of years. The remainder provides support to your favorite charities and causes.
3) Determine how you would like your favorite charities and causes to utilize your contributions. Do you want to support an organization’s general operational expenses, or address a specific need? You can give in ways that reflect these preferences through a wide variety of charitable fund options. Whether you advise grants as you go, designate charities for automatic annual grants, create a special fund, or support a specific cause or area of interest, you can match your giving interests with any of these flexible fund options to create an impact in our shared communities.
4) Touch base with the Philanthropy Officer, Director of Development, or Executive Director at Humane Society Naples. Perhaps you would like to know more about our current operations and what is needed to support the animals as they await their forever loving home. Or maybe you would be interested in knowing more about our plans for the future. Have you visited our shelter? Seeing HSN in action is a heartwarming and inspiring experience. Let us know if you would like to visit behind-the-scenes or speak with members of our leadership team.
5) Connect with your financial professional. Your financial professional is there for you when you’re ready to take your next steps. Set up time to meet with your financial professional for additional guidance with any of your questions.
I’m here to help, too. Please call if you would like to know more about planning your charitable donations in the new year and how doing so can help to save the lives of lost, stray, abandoned, neglected, and abused animals coming to Humane Society Naples for comfort and care.
Kim Hanson
Senior Philanthropy Officer
Humane Society Naples
(239) 438-4624
kim.hanson@hsnaples.org
Kim Hanson recently joined HSN’s Community Affairs team as Senior Philanthropy Officer. With more than 45 years in the nonprofit development field, Kim had served for the past 7 years as the Major & Planned Giving Officer for Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in Palm Beach County. She will be posting a monthly blog on our HSN website about ways of saving the precious lives entrusted to us through a variety of charitable giving vehicles.
