Planned Giving

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” 

― Maya Angelou 

Leaving a Legacy 

Joyful Heart’s Planned Giving program provides an opportunity for you to use your assets — beyond your annual income — for charitable giving. We provide a range of gift plans to serve  your financial and philanthropic goals, maximize financial and tax benefits, and leave a lasting  and meaningful legacy of impact. 

The Joyful Heart Foundation’s mission is to transform society’s response to sexual assault,  domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever.  Since 2010, the Foundation has been laser focused on the elimination of the existing backlog of  untested rape kits across the United States and the prevention of any future backlog. The End  the Backlog campaign serves as the cornerstone of JHF’s work, and we continue to advocate  for healing and justice for all survivors. The generosity of our donors makes this possible. Below  please find the many ways to continue to support JHF and make a difference in this important  work. 

For information on the ways to give outlined below, please contact Leslie Hewitt at l.hewitt@joyfulheartfoundation.org. 

Opportunities 

1. Bequests 

Your last will and testament is the document through which you may pass on your legacy to  family, friends, and charitable organizations that you support. You may make a bequest to  Joyful Heart by directing in your will and/or your revocable living trust that certain assets be  transferred to Joyful Heart after your death. You can structure the bequest to be a specified sum  of money, a percentage of your estate, or as a contingent bequest. 

During your lifetime, such assets will continue to remain in your control and you may also modify  the bequest to address changing circumstances during your lifetime. Although no lifetime  income tax deduction is available for the bequest, your estate will receive an unlimited estate  tax charitable deduction for the bequest to Joyful Heart. We encourage you to discuss your  estate plans with your attorney or tax advisor. 

2. Life Insurance Policies 

You can name Joyful Heart as the beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of a life insurance  policy, which can reduce the value of your taxable estate. Please contact Joyful Heart to discuss  this option and to make arrangements for the payment of future premium payments, if any.

3. Retirement Plan Assets 

Funds held in retirement plans (including 401Ks and IRAs) at death can often be subject to  income and estate taxes of approximately 80 percent of the assets (leaving only 20 percent for  heirs). This double taxation can be avoided by gifting such assets to Joyful Heart, and therefore  make excellent candidates for testamentary charitable giving. The most effective way to transfer  a retirement plan to Joyful Heart is to name Joyful Heart as a designated beneficiary in the plan  or IRA document or, alternatively, direct that an IRA distribution be made directly to Joyful  Heart. 

4. Charitable Remainder Trust 

A charitable remainder trust (CRT) is a trust that provides annual payments to one or more  individual beneficiaries for a term specified in the instrument creating the CRT. At the expiration  of the term, any property remaining in the CRT is distributed to one or more charitable  beneficiaries. 

A CRT may be created under a will and testament at death, or under a separate irrevocable  lifetime trust agreement. 

A CRT has the following advantages: 

• Tax on income and gains related to the contributed assets may be deferred for a  significant period. Establishing a CRT can be an advantageous way for you to sell and  diversify low-basis assets. 
• If the CRT is structured and administered properly, you will be eligible to receive an  income tax charitable deduction in an amount equal to the present value of the  remainder interest in the property contributed to the CRT, which is expected to pass to  the charitable beneficiaries of the CRT at the CRT’s termination. If the CRT terminates  upon your death, your estate will be eligible for an estate tax deduction for the full  amount then passing to charity. 
• You also can provide that upon your passing, your spouse will continue as the “non charitable” beneficiary after your death, and your estate should be eligible for the  Federal estate tax marital and charitable deductions. Please speak with your attorney or  tax advisor to discuss the tax advantages of creating a lifetime or testamentary CRT. 

Joyful Heart may accept a designation as a remainder beneficiary of a CRT. 

5. Charitable Lead Trust 

A charitable lead trust (CLT) is a trust that pays an annuity to one or more charitable  organizations for a term specified in the governing instrument of the CLT. At the expiration of  the term, any property remaining in the CLT passes, free of additional transfer taxes, to one or  more designated non-charitable beneficiaries.

•  A CLT may be created under a will and testament at death, or under a separate  irrevocable lifetime trust agreement. 
• The transfer of property to a CLT really constitutes two gifts for Federal gift tax purposes:
• A gift to charity of the present value of the charity’s right to receive the annuity payments over the term of the CLT, and 
• A gift to the non-charitable remainder beneficiaries of the fair market value of the  property transferred to the CLT, reduced by the present value of charity’s right to  receive the annuity payments over the term. 
• If a lifetime CLT is properly structured, a donor may claim a Federal gift tax charitable  deduction in an amount equal to the present value of the charity’s right to receive the  annuity payments over the term of the CLT. This deduction will reduce the amount of the  donor’s taxable gift. Please speak with your attorney or tax advisor to discuss the tax  advantages of creating a lifetime or testamentary CLT. 

Joyful Heart may accept a designation as income beneficiary of a CLT. 

6. Gift Of Other Complex Assets 

Joyful Heart may also welcome gifts of real estate, interests in other entities, private company  stock, restricted stock, LLC and Limited Partnership Interests, and pre-IPO shares, as well as  certain types of tangible personal property. 

You may also wish to consider making a gift of appreciated securities to Joyful Heart, which  may allow you to obtain a charitable income tax deduction for the fair market value of the gift  and, more importantly, avoid capital gains on the appreciation of the security. 

Such gifts are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

There are many ways to make a planned gift to Joyful Heart. The best vehicle for you will  depend on your individual circumstances. Please discuss your gift planning desires with your  attorney or tax advisor before making a decision on this matter. The information on this site is  for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. 

Any discussion of United States tax matters contained is not intended to be used to promote,  market, or recommend to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.