In Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, "charitable giving" refers to the act of transferring 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 typically simply involves writing a check or handing cash over to the charitable organization of the donor's choice.

What if, on the other hand, a donor wishes to give everything they own (or a substantial chunk of everything they own) to a charity? This is quite generous, of course, but it's rarely possible during life, considering the expenses and commitments we all have. On the other hand, most people don't think they'll be needing their money after they die. Knowing this, many arrangements have been created authorizing a person to have as much of their money as they want transferred to a charity of their choice after their death.

If you decide to make a sizable donation to a charity that will not directly 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 Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

Legal arrangements identified as "charitable trusts" are also utilized to give large amounts of money to charity. It can be used to make the gift quickly, or it can be set to take effect after the donor's death.

In a charitable trust, the property is still technically owned by the donor, but the recipient retains possession and control over it. As the trustee, the charity is free to use the money for any purpose laid out in the trust agreement. With a charitable trust, trustees are usually only permitted to use the money to advance their organization's charitable mission.

In Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, a "charitable remainder trust" is the most typical kind of charitable trust. This permits 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 (usually 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 produce, becomes the legal property of the charity, to dispose of as it pleases.

You should make sure the charity is registered with the Internal Revenue Service, and (if applicable) the taxation authority of .

Do I Need a Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 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 efficient attorney in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, who will be able to help you navigate the legal details, making it easier to give effect to your intentions.