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Making a bequest is simple.

One of the most popular ways to make a legacy is through including HATS in your will or living trust. This type of gift has several advantages:

• Easy. Making a bequest is as simple as inserting a few sentences into your will. The official bequest language for HATS to share with your attorney can be: “I, [name], of [city, state, zip], give, devise and bequeath to Helping Animals To Survive [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its use and purpose.”
• Flexible. Wills are not written in stone and can be changed at any time. With a bequest, you are not actually making a gift until your death. Until then, you are free to alter your plans, eliminating the worry that you might make a commitment you could regret later.
• Tax Wise. Aside from the pure joy achieved by leaving a meaningful gift to animals, making a bequest to a charitable organization has valuable benefits. Your estate is entitled to an unlimited estate tax charitable deduction for bequests to qualified charitable organizations.

We hope that you’ll consider including a gift to HATS in your will or living trust. Please contact your financial advisor to learn more about arranging a gift that makes a lasting impression for animals in need while meeting your personal financial goals.

An easy way to save lives.

A gift of your retirement assets, such as a gift from your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, is an excellent way to make a planned gift to HATS. If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. Why not allocated the remainder to animals, and help us save lives?

Typically, retirement plan balances are subject to both income and estate taxes. Because HATS is a nonprofit organization, we won’t pay income tax on the distribution nor will the gift be subject to estate tax. Your retirement assets may be transferred to HATS by completing a beneficiary designation form provided by your plan custodian. If you designate HATS as a beneficiary, the animals will benefit from the full value of your gift because your IRA assets will not be taxed at your death. Your estate can also benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

Simplify your charitable giving.

What is a donor-advised fund?
A donor-advised fun (DAF) is a type of giving program that provides you with the flexibility to support animals through HATS while enjoying favorable tax benefits. It’s a great way to simplify your charitable giving, while helping to save lives.

What are the tax benefits of a donor-advised fund?
Your DAF contributions are immediately tax deductible and any investment growth in the DAF is tax free. It is also easy to donate long-term appreciated securities, which eliminates capital gains taxes and allows you to support multiple charities from one block of stock. You receive one tax receipt. DAFs are also flexible. The timing of your tax deduction is separate from your charitable decision making.

What are other benefits to DAFs?
DAFs are simple. They allow you to avoid the administrative and legal burdens of forming a private foundation while preserving the joys of charitable giving. The DAF sponsor handles all record keeping, disbursements, and tax receipts. The DAF manager also takes care of vetting and qualifying charities. All you have to do is dictate where to send the checks.

How does a DAF work?
Simply ask your financial advisor to designate a gift to HATS. And please let us know when you do, so we can say thank you!

A tax efficient way to help animals.

Donating investments – especially appreciated securities – can be an effective and tax efficient way to support HATS.