Charitable giving in Santa Ana, California is the giving of money or some other asset to a charitable cause.
The vast majority of charitable gifts are made using the most simple method feasible: giving the gift to the intended beneficiary.
Some generous donors will sometimes give basically everything they own to charity. This is a wonderful thing to do, but it's not really practical - after all, just about everybody has bills to pay. One solution to this is to put off such a generous donation until after death. This allows the donor to meet their obligations during life, while having the satisfaction of knowing that a cause they care about will be given a large amount of help after their death.
If you want to make a donation that's effective after your death, there are a few ways to do this. The most common method is also the simplest: leaving the charity whatever property you want to give to it in your will - this is known as a "testamentary gift."
Charitable Trusts in Santa Ana, California
Charitable trusts are usually used for very large donations, and can be made during the donor's life, or after their death.
The money is still technically owned by the donor, but the charity, serving as a trustee, has the authority to use it for charitable purposes, with the exact scope of this right having been laid out in the trust agreement.
In Santa Ana, California, a "charitable remainder trust" is the most typical kind of charitable trust. This allows the money or property to immediately pass to the charity of the donor's choice, so they can benefit from it as soon as possible. The charity takes the money, and invests it (generally in reliable, but not necessarily high-yield, investments). They keep most of the income that this generates, but return a portion of it to the donor on a regular basis, for a set period of time. When this time runs out, the original donation, along with all the income it will produce, becomes the legal property of the charity, to dispose of as it pleases.
Obviously, if you want to help a good cause, you want to make sure that any charity you donate to is valid. Sadly, there are quite a few fraudulent charities out there. The ideal way to do this is to check and make sure that the charity is registered as a tax-exempt organization with the IRS, and the tax authorities in
Do I Need a Santa Ana, California Attorney?
If you wish to set up a charitable trust, you should consult with the organization directly. They often know the simplest way to direct any charitable giving to their organization. You should also speak with a reputable trusts and estates attorney in Santa Ana, California, who can help ensure that your intentions are carried out.
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