In Rockingham, North Carolina, charitable giving is when a person donates something to an organization or individual, without consideration (getting something directly in return). This is for the purpose of advancing some type of cause, helping people in need, or any other altruistic motive.

The easiest way to make a charitable gift is to just give the money or property directly to the organization you want to help.

Some people want to give a larger percentage of their assets to a charitable organization than would be feasible during life, so they create some type of arrangement under which the money will be transferred upon the donor's 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 Rockingham, North Carolina

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 Rockingham, North Carolina, 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 Rockingham, North Carolina Attorney?

When attempting to establish a charitable trust, or make another charitable donation, the first thing you should do is discuss this with the organization you want to make the donation to. They will probably be able to advise you on how to donate your money in the way that will be most useful to them. And, of course, you should speak with an attorney in Rockingham, North Carolina, who will normally be able to make the process much easier.