Blog post submitted by Valessia Samaras, Senior Director of Major and Planned Gifts
One of the new initiatives within the CAFB’s Development Department is an emphasis on planned giving. You might be asking yourself “What is planned giving?” Planned giving is visionary thinking. It means that as a donor, you can help the food bank meet future needs that may not occur during your lifetime. Over the past 10 years, many individuals such as Alice S. Marriott and Karen A. Johnson, have looked beyond the current programs they supported and provided legacy gifts and bequests that benefited future generations. Their wills provided the food bank with an unexpected windfall that helped provide nutritious food to members of our community. A simple provision in your will can be of any size that is comfortable to you.
A planned gift can also save you taxes, increase your spendable income, preserve your assets, allow you to continue to use your assets during your lifetime, and more importantly help make a difference in the lives of those struggling to get enough food to eat.
There are many ways to structure a gift that would benefit you and the food bank. Some examples of assets that can be used as planned gifts are naming the food bank the recipient of a living trust, gifting the food bank an insurance policy or qualified retirement plan. You can also establish a gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or charitable lead trust.
To help celebrate the move into our new food distribution center, we are establishing a Planned Giving Society. We encourage you to join this group of committed supporters who are helping secure the financial future of the CAFB and ensuring that all have access to quality, nutritious food.
Membership benefits include:
- Recognition in the CAFB annual report;
- Invitation to an annual Planned Giving event and other special events;
- Mentions in CAFB publications and mailings;
- Satisfaction in ensuring that future generations have access to healthy food.
We would be happy to speak to you confidentially about establishing a planned gift for the food bank. For more information, call Valessia Samaras at 202-526-5344 ext. 251 or at 617-543-4878.