Ways to Give

Wills and Bequests
A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an advisor, you simply include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to Boy Scouts of America as part of your estate plan.  You can establish your legacy, and it remains revocable at any time during your life. For donors with taxable estates, charitable bequests are completely tax deductible when distributed. There are many types of bequests you can consider. We encourage you to visit with your own advisor about your planned giving. Click here for SAMPLE BEQUEST CLAUSES.

Simple Will Change
If you already have a will and want to make some simple changes, you can do so with a codicil. A codicil is a simple addition or amendment to an existing will. As with wills, codicils involve certain signing formalities and can be revoked or changed during your lifetime. But no matter what your charitable plans, make sure you have a valid will and regularly review it, so it meets the changing needs of you and your family. Click here for a SAMPLE CODICIL.

IRAs and Retirement Plans
Retirement fund assets can be one of the most significant assets left in an estate. Unfortunately, the gift of an IRA to a child or grandchild—or anyone other than a spouse or charity—can be one of the costliest gifts of all. Retirement funds given to children or grandchildren can be double taxed, or worse, leaving only a fraction for your intended beneficiaries. Many donors find gifts of IRA assets to charity to be an effective, taxwise way to give.  Naming your local council as an alternate or contingent beneficiary of your retirement accounts is as simple as requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your plan administrator.

Life Insurance
Do you have insurance policies no longer needed for their original purpose? Do you have a policy…?

• providing money for a spouse or children, who no longer need it?
• covering a mortgage on a home or other property that’s now paid off?
• covering educational expenses that no longer exist?
• protecting a business you no longer own or that has other coverage at this point?

Donate a new or existing policy to Scouting and your tax deduction is about equal to the policy’s cash surrender value.  It may be beneficial to donate such policies and take the tax deduction. In general, you can also deduct any annual amounts paid to keep the policy in effect.

Donor Advised Fund
A donor-advised fund is like a charitable investment account, for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations you care about. When you contribute cash, securities or other assets to a donor-advised fund to a nonprofit of your choice (Los Padres Council) or at a public charity, like Fidelity Charitable, you are generally eligible to take an immediate tax deduction. Then those funds can be invested for tax-free growth and you can recommend how funds are to be distributed at Los Padres Council.

When you give, you want your charitable donations to be as effective as possible. Donor-advised funds are the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle in the United States because they are one of the easiest and most tax-advantageous ways to give to charity.

Charitable Trusts
These trusts can make regular income distributions to the donor, family, or BSA, and are very flexible in their terms. When the trust ends, the funds may go to Scouting or to the donor and family, depending on the donor’s wishes.

Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT)
A charitable remainder trust provides the donor or others with cash flow while obtaining a current-year personal income tax deduction. The donor contributes assets to a trust that makes annual distributions to the donor (or other individuals) for a stated number of years (or for the beneficiary’s life). After this period, any assets remaining in the trust pass to one or more charities, chosen by the donor

Charitable Lead Trusts (CLT)
This option helps you avoid the heavy gift and estate tax burdens incurred by directly transferring property to family members. Unlike the other trust options, a lead trust pays income to Los Padres Council from the start for a specified term of years, and the principal eventually reverts back to the donor or other non-charitable beneficiaries. Under certain conditions, the lead trust will generate an immediate income tax deduction.

Some think of a lead trust as a partnership between themselves and a charity. Some see it as a “mirror image” of a charitable remainder trust. To others, it is a loan to charity. But most people agree that the lead trust is a great way to make a significant gift to Scouting using funds that eventually will return to you or your loved ones. It’s also a great way to pass assets to your loved ones at very little cost.

Charitable Gift Annuity
It pays to support Los Padres Council. Literally. With the income-producing gift options below, you can create a secondary source of revenue or augment your retirement assets while enjoying major tax incentives. A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between a donor and the BSA. In exchange for a gift, the BSA agrees to make payments to the donor or others chosen by the donor. These payments are made for life, to one or two individuals, and guaranteed by the general assets of the Boy Scouts of America. The donor also receives an income tax charitable deduction. The gift may be of cash, stocks, bonds, or shares in a mutual fund.

At the end of the gift annuity term (the lifetime of the payment recipient(s), the remaining value of the original gift is removed from the gift annuity fund and given to the council chosen by the donor. Charitable gift annuities are handled through the Charitable Gift Annuity Program at the BSA National Service Center; this relieves our council from administrative burdens, state filings, and fees.

Free Estate Planning Guide
Are you ready to plan your will or trust? For planned giving ideas or questions please call Los Padres Council at 805-967-0105. In addition, we would like to give you a FREE Estate Planning Guide. This helpful information may enable you to successfully plan your estate. We also encourage you to visit with your own advisor about your planned giving. Your free Estate Planning Guide may be obtained online by clicking here.