Ways to Give
Cash. Nothing could be more straightforward than making a cash gift to WITS. All cash donations are deductible. You can make year-end gifts, or make a gift in memory or honor of a friend or loved one, perhaps on the occasion of a birthday, graduation, anniversary or other special day. It is the perfect gift for someone who has everything. While cash and 
check are the preferred methods of payment, WITS also accepts Visa and MasterCard.
Fund a Field Trip. Sponsor a class field trip to a local museum, university, or location of your choice. Our program staff are happy to coordinate the logistics, if you will kindly provide the funding for a bus and the day's outing. Remember, we would love to have you tag along!
Matching Gifts. Double your donation. Many people are unaware that their employers have a Matching Gift process in place. In addition, in most cases, the process must be initiated by the donor and not WITS. Typically, the donor initiates the matching gift process by completing a form that includes the date and amount of the gift. Depending on your employer's policies, the form is then either returned to the HR department or mailed directly to WITS for verification. In both cases, the date and amount of the gift must be verified by us. Once WITS receives the matching gift form, we will complete it and promptly return it to your employer. When approved, WITS will receive the matching gift funds from your employer, thus doubling your donation!
Reoccurring Gifts. WITS makes it easy for you to pledge a certain amount either monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, or annually. Simply determine the amount you wish to give on a reoccurring basis and WITS will take care of the rest. You can also pledge a certain amount to be giving over a specific time period. For example, WITS' Golden Opportunity Challenge allows supporters to pledge $50,000 over five years with an annual donation of $10,000.
Life Insurance. Do you have life insurance policies that are no longer needed? You may either donate the life insurance policy to WITS or simply name us as 
the beneficiary.
Bequests. Have you made provisions in your will to benefit WITS? Bequests are the most popular form of planned gifts. Anything you leave to WITS will reduce the size of your taxable estate while helping a good cause. You can leave to us a specific bequest of a specified sum of money or a particular piece of property. Other options include leaving a percentage of your estate or a percentage of your residuals to WITS after making provisions for family and friends. For instance, you could leave us a specific bequest of $10,000, or you could leave us 10 percent of the residuals of your estate.
Appreciated Securities. Stocks and publicly traded securities are easy to give and offer great tax advantages. The best stocks to use for charitable giving are those that have increased greatly in value, particularly those producing a low yield. If you have held them for more than one year, you will pay no capital gains tax on the transaction and you can deduct the full fair market value.
Bank Accounts and CDs. Did you know that you can name us as the "payable-on-death beneficiary" of your bank accounts or on certificates of deposit? You own the assets for your lifetime and have them available for your use. Upon your death, the assets pass directly to WITS without going through probate. Simply visit your bank and request the necessary forms to name a beneficiary on your accounts and CDs. You can change beneficiary designations at any time.
Retirement Plans. Since U.S. tax laws often subject retirement plan assets to the highest combined income and estate taxes, charitable donations of these assets may be the most efficient estate planning option for you. Under current law, the recipient generally must report distributions from qualified retirement plans as taxable income. In a large estate, these income and estate taxes can leave less than 30 cents on the dollar of the plan's balance for your heirs (excluding your spouse).
By naming WITS as the beneficiary of the remainder of your retirement plan after the death of you or your spouse, 100 percent of the plan's balance would be available to WITS, avoiding both income and estate taxes. To make this "change of beneficiary", simply notify your plan's administrator and follow the necessary steps to designate that your qualified retirement plan come directly to WITS.
To learn more about our planned giving options, contact Kristen Kovach at the WITS office today.
