Planned Giving

When you include a gift to the Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO) as part of your legacy, you are forever helping the fight for colorblind equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in America. For over a quarter century, CEO has been the leading conservative organization opposing race-based policies and discrimination at all levels of government, education, and in employment. We are guided by the principle of colorblind equal opportunity embodied in our nation’s original motto—E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many, One—a principle embraced by the vast majority of the American people.

HOW TO MAKE A PLANNED GIFT

A planned gift may enable you to make a more substantial gift than you thought you could while satisfying your personal, financial, and philanthropic goals. Unlike cash donations, planned gifts are typically made from assets in your estate, rather than disposable income. There are several ways to make a planned gift:

Giving a bequest through your will or trust offers a way to support CEO’s mission for generations while meeting your current financial needs.

Life income gifts allow you to make a gift and receive income back for life or a term of years—for you or a loved one.

Whether you have been saving for years or are just starting to build your nest egg, you may name CEO as a beneficiary of a specific amount or percentage of your retirement account or insurance policy.

IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts are a tax-smart way to make a gift to charity while meeting your Required Minimum Distribution and realizing income tax benefits. If you are 70 ½ or older, you can direct up to $100,000 to charity each calendar year from an IRA.

Simply contact your IRA plan administrator and request a distribution be made to CEO directly from your IRA. Check with your IRA administrator about any deadlines they may have for these gifts and ask that they include your name with the distribution.

Request that checks be sent to:
Center for Equal Opportunity
Office of Planned Giving
1054 31st Street NW
Suite 330
Washington, D.C. 20007
CEO Tax ID: 52-1543156

Please notify CEO of the incoming IRA charitable rollover gift. Provide the name of your IRA administrator, amount of gift, and gift designation.

Other creative gift plans provide opportunities to transfer ownership of real estate, personal property or another treasured asset to create your CEO legacy.

For more information, or to notify us of an incoming gift, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at giving@ceousa.org or 202.886.2000.

Below are some of the most common methods of planned giving, including gifts from an estate, gifts that provide income for life, and gifts using creative funding assets.

WAYS TO INCLUDE CENTER FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN YOUR PLANNING

BEQUESTS

One of the simplest ways to create a legacy with CEO is through a bequest in your will or trust. You can leave a specific amount, percentage, or all or a portion of the remainder of your estate to the area of CEO that is meaningful to you.

Bequests are the most common way to make a gift to CEO through your estate. Simply add a provision in your will or trust designating either a specific amount, a percentage, or all or part of the residue of your estate to CEO. You can designate your bequest to benefit an area of CEO that is meaningful to you or provide unrestricted support to CEO —and gifts of any size are appreciated.

Bequests provide flexibility in that they allow you to make a gift now by including a provision in your will or trust while preserving the right to make changes at any time in the future should your circumstances change. There are also potential tax benefits by including a bequest in your will or trust, which may allow you to make a more significant gift to CEO from your estate while still taking care of family and loved ones.

Below is sample language that you can share with your attorney in drafting a bequest in your will or trust:

I bequeath to Center for Equal Opportunity (Tax ID #52-1543156), a nonprofit organization located in Virginia;

  • the sum of _________ dollars; or
  • an amount equal to ________ percent of the net value of my estate; or
  • all the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate

If you would like to designate your gift to a specific program, you may also want to include additional language.

BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS

Naming CEO as the beneficiary of a retirement account, insurance policy, or bank or brokerage account may offer significant tax benefits and is easy to update should your plans change in the future.

The value of retirement accounts may increase significantly over time, leading to a significant built-in tax liability. Leaving these assets to loved ones, other than a spouse, may result in up to 70% of the value being lost to taxes. Instead, if you leave other assets to family, and use a retirement account to make a gift to CEO, the funds are transferred tax-free and CEO realizes the full value of the gift.

Naming CEO as the beneficiary of a retirement account, insurance policy, or bank or brokerage account is a tax-smart way to make a gift that leaves a lasting legacy. It is as simple as completing a beneficiary designation form with the account administrator. These gifts also offer great flexibility as you can easily make changes during your lifetime without incurring legal fees

Making a gift to CEO using a beneficiary designation is as easy as contacting your account administrator to revise your beneficiary form. You may need to provide the following information:

Legal NameCenter for Equal Opportunity
AddressCenter for Equal Opportunity
Office of Planned Giving
1054 31st Street NW
Suite 330
Washington, D.C. 20007
Tax ID52-1543156
Phone Number202.886.2000

GIFTS OF REAL ESTATE

A gift of real estate such as a residence or commercial property may be a meaningful way to make a gift to CEO.

A gift of real property (such as a residence, vacation home, or commercial property) can be used to make a significant gift to CEO. This can be accomplished through a simple bequest in your will or trust leaving the proceeds from the sale of the property to CEO, or during your lifetime through a charitable remainder trust or a charitable lead trust. Gifts of real estate must be free of debt and readily marketable.

Potential tax benefits of making a gift of real estate include reducing income and estate taxes, receiving a charitable deduction, and avoiding capital gains tax. If used to fund a charitable remainder trust, there may also be financial security and a lifetime income stream for you and/or loved ones. With all gifts there is the benefit of leaving a lasting legacy at CEO that supports a specific program that is meaningful to you.

APPRECIATED SECURITIES

You may be able to use appreciated stock, bonds, or mutual funds to make a gift to support CEO that provides a charitable deduction while also avoiding capital gains taxes.

Donating stock or mutual funds is an extremely tax-beneficial way to make a gift to CEO. In gifting appreciated stock, bonds, or mutual fund shares that you have owned for at least one year, you may enjoy one or a combination of the following benefits:

  • Avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation
  • Receive a charitable tax deduction
  • Provide support for a CEO program that is meaningful to you

PERSONAL PROPERTY

Gifts of art, collections, or other personal property may provide a creative way to make a gift to CEO.

Making a donation of tangible personal property can be an excellent way to receive a tax benefit, dispose of property that is expensive to insure or maintain, and support CEO.

Artwork, collections, antiques, stamp and coin collections, and other personal property can make a great charitable gift today or after your lifetime. Financial benefits for a gift of personal property depend on if CEO can use the property in a way that is related to our mission.

Related use property, such as a piece of artwork, may be deductible at piece’s fair market value as determined by an independent appraisal. The deduction for property that is deemed non-related use property may be limited to the lesser of fair market value or your tax basis in the property.

If the federal income tax charitable deduction claimed for a gift of personal property exceeds $5,000, you will be required to obtain an appraisal from a qualified appraiser and complete IRS Form 8283.

ADDITIONAL METHODS OF PLANNED GIVING

IRA QUALIFIED CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION

If you’re 70 ½ or older, this is a tax-smart way to make a gift to CEO while decreasing your taxable income. If you are 72 or older, these gifts will also help meet your Required Minimum Distribution.

COMPLEX ASSETS

Careful planning can help unlock the power of illiquid assets, allowing you to reach your philanthropic goals while realizing additional tax benefits.

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY

A contract with CEO that provides fixed payments for life for you and/or a loved one while also making a gift to an area of CEO that is meaningful to you.

CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST

A trust that generates fixed or variable income for you and/or other beneficiaries for life or a term of years, with the remainder of the trust eventually becoming a gift to CEO.

CHARITABLE LEAD TRUST

A creative way to pass on assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS

Use your existing Donor Advised Fund to make a gift to CEO, or include us as a remainder beneficiary of your fund.

Disclaimer: These suggestions do not constitute legal or tax advice. Please check with your legal and/or tax advisor to understand the specific impact changes to your estate will have on tax liability.