In Machesney Park, Illinois, "charitable giving" involves giving money or property to an individual or organization, expecting nothing directly in return.

In life, charitable giving normally simply involves writing a check or handing cash over to the charitable organization of the donor's choice.

Some people, however, may be particularly dedicated to a certain cause, giving rise to a desire to donate a very large percentage of their assets to it. However, during life, this is typically infeasible, since people have their own expenses that they have to cover. Therefore, people often put off this donation until after their death.

If you decide to make a sizable donation to a charity that will not really occur until after your death, the easiest (and most normally-used) method is to simply leave the desired amount of money or property to the charitable organization in your will.

Charitable Trusts in Machesney Park, Illinois

A charitable trust is an arrangement through which some amount of money or property is given to a charity after the donor's death, or during their life.

The money is still technically owned by the donor, but the charity, serving as a trustee, has the power to use it for charitable purposes, with the exact scope of this right having been laid out in the trust agreement.

If a person decides to set up a charitable trust in Machesney Park, Illinois, they normally set up a "charitable remainder trust," since this is usually beneficial to both the donor (or their estate) as well as the charity. The operation of this type of trust is fairly simple: at a set time (normally the donor's death) the property that the donor wants to give to the charity is handed over, and the charity invests it. The charity benefits by getting to keep most of the money that these investments generate. The donor benefits because they also get a percentage of this income, for a period of time laid out in the trust agreement. Afterwards, the recipient of the donation gets it free and clear.

You should make sure the charity is registered with the Internal Revenue Service, and (if applicable) the taxation authority of .

Do I Need a Machesney Park, Illinois Attorney?

If you want to create a charitable trust, you should first talk with someone in charge of the charitable organization you wish to help. They will be able to assist you in setting up the trust, or advise you of their preferred method of donation. This will help you ensure that your donation is as effective in helping the charity as it can possibly be. It is also a good idea to speak with a Machesney Park, Illinois attorney, who can help iron out the more technical details.