In Leominster, Massachusetts, "charitable giving" involves giving money or property to an individual or organization, expecting nothing directly in return.
In general, it's extremely easy to make a charitable donation to a cause you want to help. Whether it contains writing a huge check, or dropping spare change in a donation jar, a large majority of charitable gifts are made simply by giving money away, with no intermediary or other complicated legal arrangements.
Some people want to give a larger percentage of their assets to a charitable organization than would be feasible during life, so they establish some type of arrangement under which the money will be transferred upon the donor's death.
There are many ways you can donate some or all of your property or money to a charity after your death, if you wish to do so. Direct testamentary gifts are the most common and the most simple way to accomplish this. A testamentary gift simply entails transferring the money or property directly to the charity, through a provision in your will.
Charitable Trusts in Leominster, Massachusetts
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.
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 first appointed the trust.
The most frequent type of Leominster, Massachusetts charitable trust is recognized as a "charitable remainder trust." Under this arrangement, some of your money or property is given 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. However, 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 really used for a charitable cause, and that your donation will be tax-deductible, you should check to see that the organization is really tax-exempt. You can find this information from the IRS and/or the agency responsible for taxation in
Do I Need a Leominster, Massachusetts 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 accomplished attorney in Leominster, Massachusetts, who will be able to help you navigate the legal details, making it easier to give effect to your intentions.