Planned Giving

Welcome to Rebecca's Recipes for Planning Gifts!

I've created this easy-to-understand Website to help you dream a little, about your future and ours. I call our planned giving information “Rebecca's Recipes” because, as with cooking, the better the recipe the more gratifying the outcome can be, for you, your family, and the thousands of people Catholic Charities serves each year. In fact, if you haven't done so already, I encourage you to read my recent article in Blessings called "A Piece of Cake."

“Planned Giving” is the name used for any charitable gift requiring forethought and planning that may affect your financial and/or estate plans. Planned gifts can be as simple as outright gifts of appreciated assets or cash or they can involve a variety of strategies that impact your financial future, including arrangements that can provide income to you and/or your heirs. These gifts enable you to create a lasting legacy of hope by supporting Catholic Charities’ vital mission into the future.

Here’s an overview of what you will find:

Gift Planning Strategies offers specific information about gifts that are appropriate for your age, financial circumstances, and philanthropic goals. If you don’t know where to start, Plan by Life Stage will help you learn strategies appropriate to your age and circumstances. Build Your Gift uses a simple question-and-answer format to help you decide where to begin. Compare Gifts does just that, compares gift options based on what you hope to accomplish. What to Give helps you choose the most appropriate assets to use, and How to Give discusses the best arrangements through which to use them to potentially increase your income, decrease taxes, and create a legacy. Essentials describes the crucial estate and legal documents everyone should have.

Hot Topics features breaking news about changes in the law relating to taxes and finance that could affect you now or through your estate. I invite you to consider bookmarking this page and to return monthly.

Meet our Donors shares the stories of the generous people who have made provisions for Catholic Charities through planned gifts. For example, this month read James Hennigan's story.

Estate Planning discusses the ways you can make a gift through your will, trust, or beneficiary designation. You will find our Bequest Language and information about how we recognize as members of our Good Samaritan Society the generous supporters who have made provisions for us through a planned gift. For Executors has information about administering estates in which Catholic Charities or one of our programs has been named as a beneficiary. You may calculate the benefits of various gifting arrangements on our Gift Calculator and will find essential IRS documents and sample letters in our Resources page.

Endowments provides information about how you can make your annual support last forever by making a gift to Catholic Charities’ Legacy of Light Fund.

For Professional Advisors offers information for estate attorneys and financial planning professionals. It includes Catholic Charities’ Bequest Language, information about Catholic Charities’ Planned Giving Advisory Committee, and our Reference Library.

Meet Our Staff provides background information and the contact information for staff at Catholic Charities.  We are always available to assist you with gift planning information, at no obligation.

Thank you for visiting “Rebecca’s Recipes for Planning Gifts.”

Bon Appetit!