St. Vincent's Services

Planned Giving

Help us to plan for their future... as well as yours.

For 130 years, people like you have supported the many services St. Vincent's has provided to needy children. Planned gifts to St. Vincent's help us to develop an even stronger organization as we move into the 21st Century. There are a number of ways in which you can help the children of St. Vincent's Services. In return, a gift to St. Vincent's can benefit you.

Your gifts to St. Vincent's can continue with a bequest.

Each year, St. Vincent's Services receives legacies from dear friends and benefactors who remember us in their wills. These bequests help us to continue the services we provide to New York's most vulnerable children. Although legal consultation is always advisable, you should know that a bequest can be simply stated in the following ways:

For rest, residue, and remainder of estate:

"All the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, wherever situated, I give, devise and bequeath to the trustees of St. Vincent's Services, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of New York, and located in Brooklyn, New York."

Percentage of estate:

"I give, devise, and bequeath ____percent of my estate to the trustees of St. Vincent's Services, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of New York, and located in Brooklyn, New York."

Specific Bequest:

"I give, devise, and bequeath to the trustees of St. Vincent's Services, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of New York, and located in Brooklyn, New York ___ dollars, or ____ shares of corporate stock.

Many donors have honored St. Vincent's in their wills. For example, John Smith grew up at St. Vincent's and thought of it as his childhood home. He made donations through our direct mail program and wanted to continue to provide for the children of St. Vincent's after his death. With a bequest, he was able to perpetuate his annual giving

Charitable Trusts

Charitable remainder trusts are vehicles that allow a donor to make a gift to St. Vincent's Services while retaining either a fixed or variable income for life. It is also possible to create a charitable trust which pays immediate income to St. Vincent's and returns the assets to the donor or a family member at some future time. Charitable remainder trusts create perfect opportunities for donors who have highly appreciated assets, a desire to eliminate capital gains taxes, and yet want to retain income for themselves and/or loved ones. Donors who fund charitable trusts are also entitled to an immediate charitable income tax deduction for the remainder interest in the assets transferred. At the termination of the trust, St. Vincent's receives all the remaining trust assets that will help us maintain and enhance our services to children.

Gift Annuities

With a gift of $1,000 or more, you can fund a St. Vincent's Services Gift Annuity and receive annual payments. A gift annuity ensures that your gift will help St. Vincent's Services in the years to come by continuing to produce interest for you and then upon your death, the principal is returned to St. Vincent's. For example, Meg Wilson age 70 transfers $10,000 to us in exchange for a gift annuity. Based on her age, she will receive 7.5% or $750 each year for the remainder of her life. About $380 of each payment is tax-free. Meg will be entitled to an income tax deduction of approximately $4,000 when she funds the annuity. In addition to these benefits, if Meg lives her full life expectancy, she will receive nearly $12,000 in payments.

Double your dollars with a Matching Gift

Many employers can double or even triple the amount of your gift to St. Vincent's. Whether you are a retired or current employee of an organization, you can ask your Corporate Contributions or Personnel Department for a matching gift form and more information on this program. When you send a gift to St. Vincent's, simply fill out the form and send it along. We'll take care of the rest and let you know when the gift has been matched. For example, Edward Green likes to make a substantial gift of $500 each Christmas. His employer then matches the gift by sending an additional gift of $500 to St. Vincent's.

Real Estate

Gifts of appreciated real property such as undeveloped land, farms, or personal residences may be transferred by deed with no liability for income or estate taxes on the appreciation. For example, Susan Jones owned a second home that she no longer used that had greatly appreciated in value. By transferring the property to St. Vincent's, she was able to avoid capital gains taxes and received a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the property.

Life Insurance

A common "hidden asset" for giving is the life insurance policy that is no longer needed for its original purpose, or an additional life insurance policy you may have acquired from your employer or a directorship. Let's assume that your family has grown and that there is no longer a real necessity for retaining that $50,000 policy purchased many years ago. The policy has a cash value of about $20,000. You can make St. Vincent's Services the owner and beneficiary of the policy and continue to pay the premiums. You'll gain an immediate tax savings and you'll gain an additional tax deduction savings for the premiums you pay in future years. And the full $50,000 with no reduction for the estate tax, will come to us to benefit future generations. To make a life insurance gift, ask your insurance company for forms that will change the beneficiary and ownership designations, and send us the policy.

The Fund Drive for the Restoration of St. Vincent's Chapel

This campaign offers you an opportunity to honor an individual or event by purchasing an object in the Peace Chapel such as a chair, stained glass window, or candlestick. Plaques are placed on the Chapel wall to recognize gifts. For example, Mrs. Brown's sister, Mary, died last year. By giving $1,000 to the Fund Drive, Mrs. Brown was able to honor her sister's memory with a gift of a Station of the Cross in St. Vincent's Chapel.

Memorial/Tribute Gifts

You may want to honor a deceased loved one with a memorial gift to St. Vincent's or pay tribute to a living friend or relative with your gift. By requesting memorial/tribute gift forms, you can indicate in whose name the gift has been made and to whom we should acknowledge the gift. For example, Mark Doe wanted to honor the memory of his late brother. He was able to send gift forms to his family and friends. When they made gifts, they received acknowledgments and a record of those gifts was kept at St. Vincent's.

For more information on any of the gift ideas above, or additional ideas on how you can plan a gift to St. Vincent's please call our Development Office at (718) 422-2255.