Planned Giving

One of the simplest and most impactful ways to support Valley Youth House is by including a bequest or testamentary trust in your will. A bequest or testamentary trust allows you to make a meaningful gift without affecting your finances during your lifetime. You can designate a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a residual bequest after other distributions are made. Working with your attorney, you can add gift language to your current document(s) or to an entirely new one. A gift can be made through your Last Will and Testament as an outright, residual, contingency, or restricted bequest.

Sample Bequest Language:

“I, (name), of (city, state, zip), give, devise, and bequeath to Valley Youth House Committee, Inc. (written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property) for its unrestricted use and purpose.”

By working with your attorney, you can add this language to your existing estate plans or draft a new will to include Valley Youth House as a beneficiary. Bequests qualify for estate tax deductions, reducing the taxable portion of your estate while supporting a meaningful cause.

For more information, view our Bequest Intention Form.

Life insurance allows you to make a much larger gift to Valley Youth House than you might otherwise be able to afford. Although the cost to you (your premiums) is relatively small, the amount Valley Youth House will receive (the death benefit) can be quite substantial. As long as you continue to pay the premiums, the charity is guaranteed to receive the proceeds of the policy when you die (guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company). Since life insurance proceeds paid to Valley Youth House are not subject to income and estate taxes, probate costs and other expenses, Valley Youth House receives 100% of your gift.

Giving life insurance to Valley Youth House also has income tax benefits. Depending on how you structure your gift, you may be able to take an income tax deduction equal to your basis in the policy or its fair market value (FMV), and you may be able to deduct the premiums on your income tax return. When an insurance contract is transferred to Valley Youth House, the donor’s charitable deduction is based on the lesser of FMV or adjusted cost basis. The simplest way to give using life insurance is to designate Valley Youth House as the beneficiary of your policy.

Retirement accounts, such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s, are among the most tax-efficient assets to leave to charity. When these accounts are left to individuals other than a spouse, they can be subject to significant income and estate taxes. By naming Valley Youth House as a beneficiary, you ensure that 100% of your gift goes to helping youth in need, tax-free.

To make this gift, simply request a beneficiary designation form from your plan administrator and include Valley Youth House as a primary or contingent beneficiary.

You can enjoy a double tax benefit by donating publicly traded stock (closely held needs to be marketable/sellable), bonds, or shares of mutual funds to Valley Youth House.  by donating appreciated securities, you may claim a generous tax deduction for what the stock is worth today as opposed to what it cost you when you purchased it. You will also avoid paying capital gains tax on the transfer of the security by donating it to Valley Youth House. This would not be the case should you decide to first sell the security and then donate the proceeds.

The market value for stocks and bonds used by the IRS to determine the value of the tax deduction is based upon the average of the highest and lowest trading prices on the date the investment is contributed to Valley Youth House. 

Donor information is not recorded when security transactions occur electronically. Therefore, it is important to the Advancement Department to be notified of the transaction to ensure proper receipt and application of the gift. By working with your advisor, you can donate securities electronically or by registered mail. It is also possible to name Valley Youth House as the beneficiary of your security account(s).

For more information, view our Giving Appreciated Securities Guidelines.

Gifts of real property may be accepted at fair market value, if, at the time of the gift, there are no outstanding mortgages, tax liens, or other financial encumbrances upon the land. Such value shall be established by at least one recent, reliable, and qualified appraisal acceptable to VYH and provided by the donor at donor’s cost, as required by the IRS.

Gifts in-kind, including but not limited to tangible personal property, merchandise, vehicles, boats, aircraft, art, stamp/coin collections, technology, home furnishings, equipment, inventory, etc. may be accepted if there are no significant restrictions, limitations, or unreimbursed additional expenses for their present or future use, display, maintenance, transfer, sale, insurance, storage, or other fees and costs.  Gifts in-kind will be valued as described below: 

• If a donor gives a vehicle and VYH sells it without “significant intervening use or material improvement,” the deduction will be the gross proceeds of the sale.
• If VYH makes use of the vehicle or materially improves the vehicle, the deduction usually is fair market value.

A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable investment account that allows donors to make tax-deductible contributions, grow funds tax-free, and recommend grants to charities over time. By designating Valley Youth House as a beneficiary of your DAF in your estate plans, you ensure that any remaining funds will be directed to support youth in need. This simple and flexible option allows you to create a lasting philanthropic legacy while continuing to support causes important to you.

For those looking to create a legacy while also retaining income benefits, charitable annuities, charitable remainder trusts (CRTs), and charitable lead trusts (CLTs) offer strategic options. A charitable annuity or CRT provides income to you or a designated beneficiary for life or a set term, with the remainder going to Valley Youth House.  A CLT, in contrast, provides income to Valley Youth House for a set period before the remaining assets revert to your heirs, potentially reducing estate taxes.