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

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

Some people, however, may be especially 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 frequently infeasible, since people have their own expenses that they have to cover. So, people often put off this donation until after their death.

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

Charitable Trusts in Marion, Illinois

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

While the money, for a time at least, is still technically owned by the donor, it is possessed and controlled by the charity, which acts as a trustee. The trustee is then able to use the money for the charitable purposes which have been laid out in the agreement that initially formed the trust.

The most common type of Marion, Illinois charitable trust is known as a "charitable remainder trust." Under this arrangement, some of your money or property is directed to your charity of choice. The charity then invests the money, while giving a percentage of the income generated by these investments to you or a beneficiary of your choice, for a determinate period of time. Once this time is up, ownership of the original fund transfers to the charity.

Wanting to help a charitable cause is, of course, a good thing. Nonetheless, some people seek to take advantage of our good intentions through fraudulent charities. If you want to help ensure that any money you donate to an organization is actually used for a charitable cause, and that your donation will be tax-deductible, you should check to see that the organization is actually tax-exempt. You can find this information from the IRS and/or the agency accountable for taxation in

Do I Need a Marion, Illinois Attorney?

If you want to set up a charitable trust, you should first speak with a representative of the charity you want to support. You should also talk with an experienced attorney in Marion, Illinois, who will be able to help you navigate the legal details, making it easier to give effect to your intentions.