After providing for your family, you may wish to contribute to the future of The Salvation Army through a planned gift. Planned gifts may be made in the form of a bequest in your will or trust, life income arrangements such as a charitable gift annuity or charitable trust, a gift of life insurance or a gift of retirement plan assets.

A planned gift may be implemented now or at your passing and requires careful deliberation. We are happy to work with you to develop a plan of giving that suits your needs, but we also recommend that you consult your attorney and tax or financial advisors before making final decisions.

There are several ways that you can contribute to The Salvation Army through planned giving, including:

Will or Trust

Charitable Gift Annuity

Charitable Lead Trust

Charitable Remainder Trust

Gifts of Life Insurance

Retirement Plan Assets

For more information on the best way to give to The Salvation Army, please contact us at 614.437.2145, or email us at Info@salvationarmycolumbus.org.

If you have already included The Salvation Army in your financial or estate plan, we thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Will or Trust

You may include a contribution to The Salvation Army through a Will or Trust. Examples of appropriate wording include:

Gift restricted to local operating needs:

“I give the sum of $ ______________ (% of my estate or property described) to be exclusively used by The Salvation Army, located at 340 East Fulton Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, to underwrite programs in The Greater Columbus Area.”

Gift restricted to a specific local program:

“I give exclusively to The Salvation Army, located at 340 East Fulton Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (“The Salvation Army”), the sum of $_____________ (% of my estate or property described) for the specific purpose of ____________________ (e.g., youth work, feeding the hungry, etc.) in the Greater Columbus Area. If this specific program has been discontinued at the time of my death, The Salvation Army shall use this bequest to assist with its general operational needs.”

Gift for perpetual endowment:

“I give exclusively to The Salvation Army (“The Salvation Army”), located at 340 East Fulton Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, the sum of $_____________ (% of my estate or property described) to be known as the __________________ Memorial Endowment Fund. I direct that the proceeds from the Fund shall be used for _____________________. If The Salvation Army, in its discretion, cannot establish or continue the Fund, it shall use this bequest to assist with its general operational needs.”

A Residuary Bequest (the balance of your estate after specific bequests and payments of debts, expenses and taxes):

“I give exclusively to The Salvation Army, located at 340 East Fulton Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, all the residue and remainder of my estate to be used for the local organization’s general operating purposes.”

Charitable Gift Annuity

With this gift of cash or marketable securities to The Salvation Army you receive fixed annual payments for your life or for the joint lives of you and another beneficiary. The amount of the payment is based on the life expectancy of one or two recipients. On the death of the last named beneficiary, The Salvation Army retains any remaining assets.

You may take a charitable income tax deduction for a portion of the gift. For a period of years, part of your payments is income tax free.

Charitable Lead Trust

Through a charitable lead trust you provide income to The Salvation Army for a set period of time you determine. At the end of the term, your family or other named beneficiaries receive the balance of the trust assets. It may be possible with a charitable lead trust to transfer assets to heirs with little or no estate or gift taxes.

Charitable Remainder Trust

A charitable remainder trust is the opposite of a charitable lead trust – you retain an income stream for life or for a set term and the remaining assets are distributed to The Salvation Army. The income stream is based either on the value of the initial contribution or a percentage of the trust assets as valued on a specific date each year. Contributions during life to a charitable remainder trust entitle you to an income tax deduction and contributions at death entitle you to an estate tax deduction.

Gifts of Life Insurance

The contribution of a life insurance policy or policy proceeds allows a donor to make a major gift to The Salvation Army. You may either transfer ownership of a life insurance policy to The Salvation Army located at 340 East Fulton, Columbus, Ohio 43215 or name The Salvation Army as an insurance beneficiary.

Retirement Plan Assets

Retirement plan assets such as 401(k), 403(b), IRA and Keogh plans accumulate on an income tax-deferred basis. The assets may be subject to both income and estate tax.

If you decide to include The Salvation Army in your estate plan, it is usually better to transfer an asset that is subject to income tax – like a retirement plan – to The Salvation Army and leave assets not subject to income tax to your family. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, The Salvation Army is not subject to income tax on the retirement plan assets.