Guide to Giving: A How-To for Personal Philanthropy

A How-To for Personal Philanthropy

Feed the hungry

Serve the elderly

Support young artists

Train health care workers

Expand the arts in schools

Care for LGBT teens

Redesign homeless shelters

Clean New York's air

Develop nonprofit leaders

Fund medical research

Improve public education

Nurture urban farms

Keep people out of jail

Help struggling children

Increase wind power

Assist disabled veterans

Keep service animals healthy

WHY JOIN US? The New York Community Trust connects generous New Yorkers with nonprofits that make this region a better place to live and work.

We are the community foundation for New York City, Westchester and Long Island.

Our grants, made possible in part with money left through bequests, improve the lives of all New Yorkers, especially those in need. And we’ve done this for nearly 100 years.

You name a cause, and chances are we fund it—from helping people in poor neighborhoods to nurturing the arts, from making our

SPECIAL ISSUE: GUIDE TO GIVING

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way You can help make New York better—starting today

H

ave you decided what to do with your money when you no longer need it? Will it go to your children... your favorite charities... a fund in The New York Community Trust? Perhaps all three?

We often hear from New Yorkers who are writing (even re-rewriting) their wills. They choose The Trust because it has a record of addressing New York’s needs while honoring donors' wishes. If you want to help the elderly or young artists, or make neighborhoods in Queens better, we can do that.

This guide gives a glimpse of our many services, along with tax-saving advice (page 6) and tips on giving effectively (on every page).

If you want to take us on a test run, give to our Annual Fund.

Just send a check to help meet New York’s critical needs.

Now in its third year, the fund has helped teenagers train for good jobs, families avoid eviction, and the homeless find homes. Of course, we’ll let you know how your contribution helped. Please call or email us today.

BOB EDGAR vice president for donor relations (212) 686-2564, rve@nyct-cfi.org

JANE WILTON general counsel (212) 686-2563, janewilton@nyct-cfi.org

schools better to protecting our environment.

QUIZ: What’s Your Charity IQ? 1. Approximately how many public

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lans iary p c i f e ben over Your edent c e r p egal hey sure t take l e k a M s. will. n t i on e your t n i r h you matc

GUIDE TO GIVING WRITING & EDITING David L. Marcus Amy L. Wolf Clare V. Church

DESIGN Sean Kelly PORTRAITS Ari Mintz

Comments? Contact us: info@nyct-cfi.org

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charities call New York City and its suburbs home? a. 10,000 b. 21,000 c. 44,000

2. Individuals, families, and companies

have set up more than 2,100 charitable funds in The Trust. These donors include: a. A founder of a private equity firm b. A taxi driver c. A professional golfer d. A registered nurse e. A Rockefeller f. All of the above

3. Only one of these charities is real.

Which one? a. Disabled Veterans of America b. Long Island Responds c. GallopNYC d. New Jersey Youth Club

4. Residents of which borough give more to charity, Brooklyn or Queens?

5. You can use a community foundation like The New York Community Trust to: a. Streamline your charitable giving and eliminate paperwork b. Support the causes you love in your will c. Learn about effective nonprofits working on the issues you care about d. Meet other charitable New Yorkers at donor events e. Get your family involved in philanthropy f. Turn copyrights, artwork, and other assets into charitable gifts g. All of the above For answers, see page 7. nycommunitytrust.org

Three Ways to Create a Legacy The Trust can help you custom-build a fund to honor those you love and the causes you care about. Some examples:

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Invol ve yo ur fa star ti mily ng m by ultipl e fun or n a me y ds, our ch i l (or gr dren andc hildr advis en) or s t o your fund .

A VISION FOR CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUSTS

A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY WELL SPENT

WHO: David Warfield, a Broadway and vaudeville actor who went blind in old age.

WHO: Barbara Scott Preiskel, the second black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, who fought for social justice.

FUNDS CREATED: One, with his wife, to benefit New York City, and one to help those with vision problems.

FUND CREATED: By her husband and friends, to continue her legacy of generosity to nonprofits.

ASSETS USED: Charitable remainders from trusts set up for his wife and sisters.

ASSETS USED: A life insurance policy and memorial gifts.

IMPACT: His gifts help young people in poor neighborhoods get vision screenings and free eyeglasses, and trains those with visual disabilities for jobs.

IMPACT: Her fund helps teachers and principals improve struggling schools. It also supports the training of school-age journalists who cover global social issues for young readers.

YOUR STORY: We often honor a donor with a biographical brochure that we share with grantees and the public.

A BEQUEST THAT NURTURES YOUNG ARTISTS WHO: Art lovers Edward and Sally Van Lier.

FUND CREATED: To advance the careers of talented, needy young artists.

ASSETS USED: A bequest that included real estate.

IMPACT: Through The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowships, nearly 2,000 young artists have received mentoring and stipends. Fellows have gone on to win a MacArthur “genius” grant and a Pulitzer Prize.

GUIDE TO GIVING

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We can help you make the mo whether you’re updating your will, loved one, or you simply want to stre

1.

How to Creat Decide what to give: You can

create a fund using cash, publicly traded stock, retirement plan assets, closely held stock, copyrights, and life insurance. In some cases, you can give art and real estate. We’re experts in working with charitable remainder trusts

WHY I GIVE

“

and charitable lead trusts, and dissolving

I worked for a leading

bank for 18 years and traveled the world—always analyzing, always living in my head. I found yoga and learned that the highest calling in life is to

private foundations into funds at The Trust.

2.

Decide when to give: Do you want

serve and, in the process, to live

to start a fund for giving today? Or defer your

an extraordinary life. Those of

gifts through a will or planned-giving vehicle?

us who are more blessed than

You can do either, or both.

others often want to give back in a holistic, meaningful way.

I started a fund at The Trust, where donor briefings keep me up-to-date about New York’s needs and the best ways my giving can make an impact.

Carlos Lu, who grew up in the Philippines, runs a wholesale food business and teaches yoga.

”

Your legacy is our job. You pick the causes. We

ost of your charitable giving— selling a company, memorializing a eamline your giving and tax receipts.

te Your Fund

3.

Contact Jane Wilton, our expert in

tax and estate planning, at (212) 686-2563. She can help you decide what type of fund or funds suit you and your family. If you’re creating a permanent fund, she can help you draft language in your will that makes the most of

THE WAY I GIVE

your charitable goals.

4.

“

When I die, a portion of

my life insurance policy will

go to a fund in The Trust to

Get ready to give: We’ll send you an

help underserved children get

agreement to sign and help you transfer your gift.

It’s that simple.

quality education and health care. The Trust’s program staff has the expertise to choose the best nonprofits to help those

FOR THOSE CREATING PERMANENT FUNDS: We can provide the legal language to your advisor to add to your will, revocable trust, IRA, or other documents.

causes in a way that I and my

FOR DONOR-ADVISORS: You can name other advisors who may succeed you in recommending grants. As soon as we have your fund agreements and gift, you can suggest grants on our easy-to-use online donor portal, or by mail.

comfortable that some of my

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grown children can’t. I feel very life insurance will ensure

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Se t u p a fu nd— r ema and in an onym ou s so yo u can a void fund raisin g le t t er s from chari t i e s.

do the work. Call Jane Wilton at (212) 686-2563

that girls and boys get a good start in life.

”

Charlynn Goins, chairman emerita of The New York Community Trust, is a lawyer and former chairman of NYC Health + Hospitals.

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pan s y c om n ogram r a p M t f -gi ts hing prof i n o n matc to nd. n at e mme o or do c e r r! oyees ploye empl m e r you Ask

COMMON MISTAKES



FORGETTING YOUR WILL



GETTING THE NAME WRONG

Did you know that 55 percent of U.S. adults do not have a will? If you don’t have one in New York, all assets go to your closest relatives. So, yours could end up with Cousin Ernie instead of supporting a cause you’re passionate about.

Do you know the difference between Make-a-Wish Foundation, Children’s Wish Foundation International, and Kids Wish Network? Some fraudulent charities take advantage of similar names. Make sure your gift goes to a bona fide charity that represents your vision for a better New York.



CHOOSING A CHARITY BASED ON ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS ALONE

We all want to keep overhead costs low, but nonprofits often fail because administrative budgets don't fully cover the costs. Look at the nonprofit’s effectiveness and speak to experts.

Call a community foundation, such as The New York Community Trust.

Ask how your money can make a real difference in addressing problems.



DOING THIS ON YOUR OWN

Giving to charity should feel great, not cause stress. Talk to The Trust’s staff, who can help you identify groups solving pressing problems. We offer as much—or as little—help as you want.

Sources: New York Community Trust; Charity Navigator

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Q&A: JANE WILTON | GENERAL COUNSEL

Putting Your Assets to Work for Good Jane Wilton, our general counsel, is a tax expert who helps charitable New Yorkers and their professional advisors create funds in The New York Community Trust. We asked her about strategies for giving.

What’s a good way to help people use charity to reduce taxes?

I advise people to use the right assets. For instance, appreciated stock that has been held for more than a year: You avoid capital gains taxes, yet your charitable income tax deduction is usually the full value of the stock. Compared to a check from your bank account, a gift of stock offers more bang for your buck.

What about deferred gifts?

Charitable remainder trusts are good tools for those who want a charitable deduction right away, but would like to wait until family and friends are taken care of before the gift is made. The charitable income tax deduction is based on the charity’s future interest. We often see these used at The Trust to create permanent funds that support grantmaking to help improve life in our city (like the funds on page 3).

Where do tax and retirement planning intersect with I’m here to help. giving back?

By the time they’re Contact me to ready to retire, many people find they don’t discuss your need all their IRAs or life insurance charitable goals. policies. And their grown children Call (212) 686-2563 or email are independent (hopefully!). It’s janewilton@nyct-cfi.org easy to name The New York Community Trust as a beneficiary—in fact, you don’t even need to update your will to have distributions made from an IRA, or to transfer ownership of a life insurance policy.

What are the advantages of giving an IRA or life insurance policy?

By taking advantage of the “IRA charitable rollover,” a donor excludes the distribution amount from ordinary income instead of taking a charitable deduction. The IRA charitable rollover provisions don’t apply to a gift to a private foundation or donor-advised fund, but there’s good news: Donors can use them to create permanent funds that support the causes or communities they love, in perpetuity. In the case of an insurance policy, the donor may be entitled to a deduction for his or her basis in the policy.

nycommunitytrust.org

YOUR LEGACY STARTS HERE: You can name a fund after yourself or someone else, and choose how it will be used to support any of your favorite issues and passions. Or let our program staff direct the fund to solve pressing problems.

QUIZ ANSWERS (from page 2)

1. Answer: (c) The latest number of nonprofits in the NY metro area is about 44,000, including 31,000 in the five boroughs. These figures include public charities such as hospitals, community groups, and churches, but not private foundations. New York’s nonprofit sector is vast and ever-changing. We can help you find the most effective groups.

2. Answer: (f) All of the above.

Donors of all kinds use The Trust. We have funds that were started with $75 million, but our minimum to start a fund is $5,000.

The Choice Is Yours, and It’s Simple Match your resources to your charitable goals

3. Answer: (c) GallopNYC is

a real group (with our support, it helps riders with disabilities and provides a comfortable home for retired horses). The other three groups are fraudulent and are not IRS registered tax-exempt organizations, yet they have solicited charitable contributions from other groups.

At The Trust, we make sure grants go to legitimate groups with sound finances and governance.

4.

Answer: Brooklyn residents gave almost double what Queens did: $1.5 billion to $826 million in the latest year available (2013).

5. Answer: (g) Community

foundations like ours are expert in finding the right charitable solution for every donor. There’s a reason why referrals from our current donors are our biggest source of new funds.

YOUR SCORE: 5 questions right?

You’re a nonprofit guru!

1-4 questions right? Come to our donor briefings to learn more.

Sources: Charity Navigator; National Center for Charitable Statistics; New York State Charities Bureau

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GUIDE TO GIVING

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Guide to Giving A How-To for Personal Philanthropy

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THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST

GIVING THROUGH THE TRUST IS:

EASY

It takes very little paperwork.

Most funds are established by a letter of agreement or a paragraph in a will. We work with people with every kind of philanthropic interest.

SMART

We do our homework, making sure that grants are made to well-run nonprofits doing important work.

DEDUCTIBLE

GAY YOUNG vice president for donor services

Because The New York Community Trust is a public charity, donors get the maximum deductions allowed by law.

To learn more about setting up a fund, contact Gay Young (212) 686-2234, gy@nyct-cfi.org or Bob Edgar (212) 686-2564, rve@nyct-cfi.org

BOB EDGAR vice president for donor relations