GIFTS NOW…  
The simplest way to make a gift is by donating cash. You may be allowed to deduct the amount you gave on your income taxes up to 50% of your adjusted gross income. If the value is beyond that figure, you may be able to carry the deduction over for up to five years. You can write and mail a check, or click here to donate on-line using PayPal payments.

GIFTS OF STOCKS…  
If you hold appreciated securities, such as stocks, giving them to charity may be a desirable option for you. Donors who itemize may be able to receive a deduction for the full fair market value of outright gifts of appreciated stocks or property for up to 30% of  adjusted gross income. If the value of the gift goes beyond that level, you may be able to carry the deduction over for up to five years. Because the profit or appreciation element of long-term property presently is not directly taxed, the "cost" to you to make the gift is even further reduced. Retroactive to May 7, 1997, the capital gains tax rate dropped from 28% to 20% and from 15% to 10% for the lowest tax bracket. To qualify, assets must now be owned for 18 months, up from the previous 12 months.

TO MAKE A GIFT OF STOCK TO THE ORDER OF ST. CAMILLUS FOUNDATION, INC.… Determine the specific stock(s) and the best date to donate.  If your bank or broker holds the stock, contact them and ask that the stock(s)  be electronically transferred to our Order of St. Camillus Foundation account.   For Order of St. Camillus Foundation account information: Have your bank or broker contact Mr. David Kremer at (414)-259-8335.  Please notify Mr. David Kremer of your gift prior to the transfer of the stocks.  This makes things much simpler because checks we receive from the sale of  stocks given in a gift do not list the donor’s name. After your gift is received, you will be sent proper acknowledgment for tax purposes.

GIVING STOCK IN YOUR POSSESSION... There are several ways to give stock in your name and possession. One way is to use a stock power and third party release form. These are available from the Order of St. Camillus Foundation, your bank, or broker. They can also help you to find the way most convenient for you to give stocks in your possession.

A will can save unnecessary expense and may provide tax savings, thereby enhancing the property you wish to pass on. Whatever the size of your estate, you have the right and opportunity to have a will so your wishes are respected. Please do not put it off. Have a will prepared. If you are interested, ideas on how to get started with your will are available free from The Order of St. Camillus Foundation.

Please consider naming the Order of St. Camillus Foundation, Inc. as a beneficiary.  The formal legal name of our foundation is the "Order of St. Camillus Foundation, Incorporated."

You have several options when making a gift in your will; give a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the residue (what is left after debts and bequests are satisfied). If you have made a gift in your will to the Order of St. Camillus Foundation, please let us know.

You can remain anonymous or choose to be listed on our special recognition plaque and in our annual report as a member of our St. Camillus Heritage Society.  Either way, you will be invited to special events from time to time, including our annual Mass and Dinner to celebrate the Feast of St. Camillus. Your gift will stand as a testimony and example for others.

USING YOUR IRA TO MAKE A GIFT…

Another way to help the ministries of the Order of St. Camillus is to designate St. Camillus as the beneficiary of retirement plans, such as IRAs, 401(k)s and other pension accounts.

AVOID THE DOUBLE TAX!

As you know, withdrawals and distributions - whether to the people who own the retirement plans or to their heirs – are taxed.  Money in tax-deferred plans left to heirs can be subject to both income and estate taxes that, in some cases, can erode up to 80 percent of the funds!  If those same assets are given to a charity, no taxes are levied and the full amount goes to the non-profit group. So what about the kids? Well, when donors give all or part of their retirement plans to charity, most then choose, when they can afford it, to leave other, less-taxable assets (like cash or stocks) to their children or heirs.

St. Camillus is seeking donors who may want to name the Order of St. Camillus Foundation, Inc. as the beneficiary of retirement-plan accounts. By making the foundation aware of your plans to make a retirement-plan gift, we can work with you to make sure your wishes about how the gift is used are met. This also qualifies you for membership in the St. Camillus Heritage Society. 

LOOKING FOR AN ANNUITY?
HOW ABOUT A CHARITABLE REMAINDER ANNUITY TRUST…

NEW! Charitable Annuities Slideshow
In this type of trust, a donor turns over property or assets to a trust. Assets from the trust then provide income for the donor during the donor's life and, if you choose, during the life of a named beneficiary such as a spouse. Upon the death of the final beneficiary, the trust ends and the remaining principal is given to the Order of St. Camillus Foundation, Inc.  

The annuity trust will always generate a larger charitable deduction as long as the payout is less than 10%. An annuity trust provides a fixed dollar payment annually.

The payment must be at least 5% of the initial gift amount within limits, the donor chooses the payment upon creating the trust, and no additional gifts can ever be made to the trust. When the trust earns more than the required annuity payment, the excess income is added to the principal. When the trust earns less than the required payment, the trustee must invade the principal to make the required payment. The annuity trust is attractive to those who need a regular, fixed income and who are less interested in riding the ups and downs of the market than they are in creating financial security.

The two most important factors in establishing the trust are 1) the age of the beneficiaries, and 2) the amount of the annuity. For example, it may be perfectly reasonable to establish an 11% annuity when the beneficiary is 97 years young. It is unlikely that the trust could sustain such payments over the life expectancy of a 30 year-old beneficiary and meet the new legal requirement for leaving at least ten percent of the initial gift to the charity. In an annuity trust, the payments are not guaranteed. If the trust should become depleted, it ceases to exist.

The unitrust provides a fluctuating annual  payment based on a percentage
of the trust's value each year.

As with the annuity trust, the percentage of the unitrust must be at least 5% of the initial gift amount. The donor selects the payout on creating the trust and additional gifts may be made to the trust at any time. There are three different variations of the unitrust. The first, usually referred to as a "regular" unitrust, requires the trustee to invade the principal, if necessary, in order to meet the required percentage payout. The second provides payments up to the stated percentage of net income only. The trustee cannot invade the principal if income is insufficient to meet the required payment. The variation is commonly called a "net-income" unitrust. The third pays net income up to the stated percentage, but, if net income is less than the stated percentage for a particular year, the trustee can make deficiency payments in a later year when the trust's income exceeds the percentage payout. This variation is called a "net income with make-up" unitrust.