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Newsletter
Ways to Make a Planned Gift
If you are considering a legacy gift, we encourage you to determine which type of planned gift(s) is most appropriate for you. Some planned gifts provide tax benefits during your lifetime, while others help transfer assets and reduce or eliminate tax burdens on your estate. Please be sure to consult with your financial advisor, tax planner and/or your attorney before considering or making a legacy gift and how such gift may impact your financial planning or your taxes. We describe some ways to arrange a meaningful gift below.
Leave a Gift in Your Will or Trust
Gifts by will or trust are an extremely valuable source of support for GeoHazards International, and unrestricted gifts give us the greatest flexibility to use funds where they are most needed. Please be sure to consult with your financial advisor and/or your attorney when you prepare a will, revise a will, or add a codicil. There are different ways to make bequests:
a) A Specific Bequest is a stated dollar amount or a specific asset, such as securities or other marketable property.
Sample Language:
"I give and bequeath to GeoHazards International, 687 Bay Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 the sum of ____ Dollars ($____) to be used for its general charitable purposes."
OR
"I give and bequeath to GeoHazards International, 687 Bay Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 [name and quantity of specific asset such as stock, i.e. ____ shares of ____ stock], to be used for its general charitable purposes."
b) A Residuary Bequest is a percentage of your residual estate (what remains after gifts to loved ones and expenses have been paid).
Sample Language:
"I give and bequeath to GeoHazards International, 687 Bay Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 ____ % of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for its general charitable purposes."
c) A Contingency Bequest allows you to account for a change in your beneficiary’s circumstances.
Sample Language:
“I give, devise, and bequeath [insert name] X percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate if s/he survives me. If [insert name] does not survive me, I give, devise and bequeath to GeoHazards International, X percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate as an unrestricted gift, to be used at its sole discretion.”
Please identify GeoHazards International with these specifics in your will or trust:
Legal Name: GeoHazards International
Address: 687 Bay Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA
Federal Tax ID # (EIN): 76-0404723
How to Notify GeoHazards International of Your Planned Gift
We hope you’ll let us know when you have named GeoHazards International in your will or trust, so that we can thank you and include you in our Legacy Program. To notify us of your intention, please use this online Planned Giving Notification Form. Or if you prefer, print and mail form to us instead.
If you have questions, please contact Susan Fields Bailey, Development Director at sfbailey@geohaz.org.
Name GeoHazards International as Your Beneficiary
Naming GeoHazards International as a beneficiary on your retirement account or life insurance policy is a simple and powerful way to support the work of our organization without changing your will or living trust. Beneficiary designation gifts pass directly to GeoHazards International without going through the probate process and go right to work empowering communities to take action before disasters happen.
Retirement accounts
You can name GeoHazards International as a beneficiary of all or a specified percentage of your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other retirement plan. These assets are often considered among the best assets to leave to charity, because individuals who inherit retirement plan assets are usually required to pay income tax on them.
To name GeoHazards International as a beneficiary on your retirement accounts, ask your retirement plan administrator or financial institution for a change of beneficiary form. Please identify GeoHazards International as a beneficiary with these specifics:
Legal Name: GeoHazards International
Address: 687 Bay Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA
Federal Tax ID # (EIN): 76-0404723
Bank and investment accounts & commercial annuities
You can leave a legacy by naming GeoHazards International as a Transfer-on-Death (TOD) or Payable-on-Death (POD) beneficiary on a bank or investment account, or a commercial annuity. Check with your financial institution to see if this option is available to you.
Life insurance policies
If you have a life insurance policy that is no longer needed for your family, designating GeoHazards International as a beneficiary is another simple way to support our work.
How to Notify GeoHazards International of your beneficiary designation:
Please let us know when you’ve made a beneficiary designation for GeoHazards International so that we can thank you and include you in our Legacy Program. To notify us of your intention, please use this online Planned Giving Notification Form. Or if you prefer, print and mail form to us instead.
If you have questions, please contact Susan Fields Bailey, Development Director at sfbailey@geohaz.org.
Make a Gift(s) that Provides You Tax Benefits Today
IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts
If you are 70½ or older, you can use your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) and make a contribution to GeoHazards International from your traditional IRA, simply by instructing the plan administrator to make the transfer directly. Currently most donors are allowed to transfer up to $100,000 a year to qualified charities of your choice.
Your gift will be transferred directly to GeoHazards International. It will not be reported as taxable income and will count toward your minimum distribution requirements for 2019. And most important, your generous support will help sustain GeoHazards International’s programs to strengthen communities around the world from natural disasters.
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Contact your plan administrator and let them know the amount you want to give.
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Instruct them to make a direct transfer to GeoHazards International and provide them with our tax ID 76-0404723.
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If you prefer they send a bank check, instruct them to mail it to: GeoHazards International, 687 Bay Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA.
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Have your bank list your name and address on any checks, so we can identify you as the donor. If your bank cannot provide your contact information on the check, please have the bank send the check to you so you can enclose correspondence with the above information.
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If you wish, let your plan administrator know that you have given GeoHazards International permission to contact them with any questions about the gift.
Please contact our Development Director, Susan Fields Bailey with any questions or to let us know us of any planned distributions at (650) 614-9050 or by email to sfbailey@geohaz.org.
Charitable Lead Trust
A charitable lead trust allows a donor to transfer assets to a trust that pays income (donor/trustees determine the payout rate) to GeoHazards International for a set term of years. At the end of the term, the remainder transfers back to the donor or heirs. You or your heirs receive a tax deduction, and the contribution may reduce estate taxes.
Charitable Life Estate Contract
A charitable life estate contract enables the donor to deed real property to GeoHazards International while retaining the right to reside in the property while living. You receive a tax deduction, and the property may avoid estate taxes and capital gains tax. The contract must specify who pays for maintenance, taxes, insurance and other fees on the property. Vacation property and domiciles may be used, but businesses may not.