Client Alert
According to Giving USA, Americans gave an estimated $358.38 billion to charity in 2014, surpassing the peak last seen in 2007 prior to the Great Recession. The 2014 total jumped 7.1% from 2013. Gifts to charity can take many forms, including (i) direct gifts of cash or property to a charitable organization, (ii) gifts in trust for charity that also provide an annuity stream back to the donor, (iii) gifts in trust for charity that also provide benefits for the donor’s family and (iv) current gifts to a fund or entity that will be distributed later to charity. This article, which addresses the first three forms, is the first of a two-part series that will discuss various alternatives for making gifts to charity.