In Cottage Grove, Oregon, "charitable giving" refers to the act of donating money or property, for selfless motives. It necessarily means that the donor does not plan on receiving any direct compensation for whatever they have given.

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 usually 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 typically-used) method is to simply leave the desired amount of money or property to the charitable organization in your will.

Charitable Trusts in Cottage Grove, Oregon

Charitable trusts are usually 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. Nonetheless, the charity, acting as a trustee, has power to use it for charitable purposes (what the money can and can't be utilized for should be clearly laid out in the trust).

The most common type of Cottage Grove, Oregon 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 Cottage Grove, Oregon Attorney?

When attempting to create 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 Cottage Grove, Oregon, who will usually be able to make the process much easier.