General planning information. Family circumstances do not replace the wording of documents, titles, and current law.
A charitable gift should identify the correct legal organization, purpose, restrictions, alternate use, and whether the asset is practical for the charity to receive.
People and promises to put on paper
- Outright bequests, beneficiary designations, donor-advised funds, and charitable trusts differ in cost, control, tax, and administration.
Assets and authority to coordinate
- charity legal name, tax identifier, contact, and gift-acceptance information
- asset basis, valuation, restrictions, and existing fund or trust agreements
Conflict-prevention questions
- Can the organization accept this asset and restriction?
- What happens if the organization changes name, merges, or cannot use the gift as directed?
Risks to pause on
- Using a familiar program name instead of the legal recipient can make administration and enforcement harder.