In Minneapolis, Minnesota, "charitable giving" involves giving money or property to an individual or organization, expecting nothing directly in return.
Most charitable donors, while they're alive, give their gifts in the simplest way possible: handing the money or property they wish to donate over to the individual or group they want to help.
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 often 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 commonly-used) method is to simply leave the desired amount of money or property to the charitable organization in your will.
Charitable Trusts in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Charitable trusts are normally used for very large donations, and can be made during the donor's life, or after their death.
Under a charitable trust, the money going to the charity technically still belongs to the donor. However, the charity, acting as a trustee, has authority to use it for charitable purposes (what the money can and can't be used for should be clearly laid out in the trust).
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a "charitable remainder trust" is the most common kind of charitable trust. This authorizes 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 (typically 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 generate, becomes the legal property of the charity, to dispose of as it pleases.
Most charitable donations are deductible from your state and federal taxable income. However, in order for your donations to count, the charity should be registered with the IRS and equivalent institution in .
Do I Need a Minneapolis, Minnesota 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 Minneapolis, Minnesota, who will be able to help you navigate the legal details, making it easier to give effect to your intentions.
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