Legacy and Planned Giving

A charitable bequest is one of the easiest and most flexible ways that you can leave a gift to the Histiocytosis Association that will make a lasting impact. 

Benefits of a bequest 

• Receive an estate tax charitable deduction 
• Reduce the burden of taxes on your family 
• Leave a lasting legacy to charity 

How a bequest works 

A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an attorney, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends or the Histiocytosis Association as part of your estate plan, or you can make a bequest using a beneficiary designation form. 

Here are some of the ways to leave a bequest to the Histiocytosis Association 

• Include a bequest to the Histiocytosis Association in your will or revocable trust 
• Designate the Histiocytosis Association as a full, partial or contingent beneficiary of your retirement account (IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or pension) 
• Name the Histiocytosis Association as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy 

A bequest may be made in several ways 

• Percentage bequest - make a gift of a percentage of your estate 
• Specific bequest - make a gift of a specific dollar amount or a specific asset 
• Residual bequest - make a gift from the balance or residue of your estate 

Sample Bequest Language

To make a bequest of cash or other property to the Association, your will (or supplemental codicil, if you do not wish to write a new will) should state: "I give and bequeath to the Histiocytosis Association, a nonprofit corporation, organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and having its office at 332 N. Broadway, Pitman, NJ 08071, the sum of $____ or ____ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to be used for general purposes of the Association."

It is strongly recommended that you seek advice from your personal tax or legal advisor when making a bequest. These professionals can provide important guidance in setting up a bequest that is best suited to your individual tax situation.

Contact us 

If you have any questions about leaving a bequest to us, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you. If you have been so generous as to include a bequest to the Histiocytosis Association as part of your estate plan, please take the time to let us know. We would like to recognize you and your family for your generosity. 

You may be looking for a way to make a big difference to help further our mission. If you are 70½ or older you may also be interested in a way to lower the income and taxes from your IRA withdrawals. An IRA charitable rollover is a way you can help continue our work and benefit this year. 

 Benefits of an IRA charitable rollover 

• Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to our organization 
• Satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year 
• Reduce your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions 
• Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts 
• Help further the work and mission of our organization 

 How an IRA charitable rollover gift works 

1. Contact your IRA plan administrator to make a gift from your IRA to us. 
2. Your IRA funds will be directly transferred to our organization to help continue our important work. 
3. Please note that IRA charitable rollover gifts do not qualify for a charitable deduction. 

Please contact us if you wish for your gift to be used for a specific purpose. 

 Contact us 

If you have any questions about an IRA charitable rollover gift, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have. 

A beneficiary designation gift is a simple and affordable way to make a gift to support the Histiocytosis Association. You can designate us as a beneficiary of a retirement, investment or bank account or your life insurance policy. 

 Benefits of a beneficiary designation gift 

• Support the causes that you care about 
• Continue to use your account as long as you need to 
• Simplify your planning and avoid expensive legal fees 
• Reduce the burden of taxes on your family 
• Receive an estate tax charitable deduction 

 How a beneficiary designation gift works 

1. To make your gift, contact the person who helps you with your account or insurance policy, such as your broker, banker or insurance agent. 
2. Ask them to send you a new beneficiary designation form. 
3. Complete the form, sign it and mail it back to your broker, banker or agent. 
4. When you pass away, your account or insurance policy will be paid or transferred to the Histiocytosis Association, consistent with the beneficiary designation. 

 Important considerations for your future 

If you are interested in making a gift but are also concerned about your future needs, keep in mind that beneficiary designation gifts are among the most flexible of all charitable gifts. Even after you complete the beneficiary designation form, you can take distributions or withdrawals from your retirement, investment or bank account and continue to freely use your account. You can also change your mind at any time in the future for any reason, including if you have a loved one who needs your financial help. 

Contact us 

If you have any questions about leaving a beneficiary designation gift to us, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you. 

If you have already designated us as a beneficiary of an asset or as part of your estate plan, please let us know. We would like to recognize you and your family for your gift. 

Donating appreciated securities, including stocks or bonds, is an easy and tax-effective way for you to make a gift to the Histiocytosis Association. 

Benefits of gifts of stocks and bonds 

• Avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of appreciated stock 
• Receive a charitable income tax deduction 
• Further our mission today 

How to make a gift of stocks and bonds 

By electronic transfer - Please contact us for instructions on how you can transfer stock or bonds from your brokerage or investment account the Histiocytosis Association. 

By certified mail - If you hold securities in certificate form, you will need to mail two envelopes separately to complete your gift. In the first envelope, place the unsigned stock certificate(s). In the other envelope, include a signed stock power for each certificate. You may obtain this power from your broker or bank. Please remember to use certified mail. 

 More on gifts of stocks and bonds 

There are special rules for valuing a gift of stock. The value of a charitable gift of stock is determined by taking the mean between the high and low stock price on the date of the gift. Mutual fund shares are valued using the closing price for the fund on the date of the gift. 

Contact us 

If you have any questions about gifts of stocks and bonds, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions that you have. 

Planned gifts can take several different forms. Funds can be contributed from:

• Trusts, such as charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts
• Charitable gift annuities
• Life insurance policy assets
• Retirement plan assets
• Endowment funds

The Histiocytosis Association benefits from Planned Giving through our endowment fund. This fund was established in 1986 with a gift of $17,500, and through additional and generous contributions over the years, has reached more than $150,000. Only the interest income from the fund is used to support Association programs, while the principal remains untouched, growing ever larger as new donations are made.

There are a number of ways to contribute to the Association's endowment fund – bequests, gifts of stock, ownership of property, direct donations, and more. Each of these vehicles can offer substantial tax deductions to the donor, and each helps to guarantee the future of the Association's work.