SOCT - Special Olympics of Connecticut

Featured Event

Sunday, August 24

Become a Volunteer

You Make the Difference in an Athletes Life

There are numerous ways you can help us reach our mission. Donations can be made through monetary contributions, donation of frequent flyer miles, gifts of stock, through a bequest or planned gift, workplace giving, wedding or special event favors, matching gifts, or at one of our many fundraising events.

Donate On-Line
Donate By Mail
Donate By Telephone
Work Place Giving
Matching Gifts
Planned Giving
Donor Benefits
Kinds of Gifts
Securities and Real Estate
Tangible Personal Property
Deferred Gifts
Bequests
Life Income Arrangements
Charitable Gift Annuity
Charitable Remainder Trust
Charitable Lead Trust
Life Insurance
Wedding / Special Occasion
Frequent Flyer Miles

DONATE ON-LINE:

Make a Donation to make a secure financial donation on-line for
Special Olympics Connecticut.

DONATE BY MAIL:

Send check, money order or credit card donation (provide name on credit card, credit card type, credit card number, expiration date and amount) to:
Special Olympics Connecticut
2666 State Street, Suite 1
Hamden, CT 06517-2232

DONATE BY TELEPHONE:

Make a donation using your credit card by calling the Special Olympics Connecticut state office at 203.230.1201 or 800.443.6105 weekdays 8:00am-5:00pm.

WORK PLACE GIVING:

Payroll deduction through your workplace makes giving easy. Support Special Olympics Connecticut through your employers United Way or Community Health Charities Campaigns. Most workplace giving programs provide the option to select a specific charity for your donation so please designate Special Olympics Connecticut when filling out your pledge form. If you your employer doesn't currently have a work place giving campaign please call 203.230.1201 or 800.443.6105 to set one up.

MATCHING GIFTS:

Double or triple your tax-deductible donation to Special Olympics Connecticut through your company's matching gift program. Thousands of companies match charitable contributions made by their employees. Find out if your company will match your donation to Special Olympics with our custom search engine. You may also visit your personnel office to ask if they match charitable donations, obtain a matching gift form, fill it out completely and mail it along with your contribution to:
Special Olympics Connecticut
2666 State Street, Suite 1
Hamden, CT 06517-2232

PLANNED GIVING - Leave Your Legacy:

More than three decades ago, Special Olympics Connecticut invited the world to let go of limiting views, prejudices and misconceptions about people with intellectual disabilities and embrace the idea that they can be respected, valued, contributing members of society.

A thoughtfully planned estate gift can help us reach those who haven't had the opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy through participation in our program. The effect of your gift will go well beyond the ball fields and playing courts, however. Your influence will extend into classrooms, family rooms and work environments, where our athletes - because of their participation in Special Olympics - have become more effective and productive family members, employees and students. Your contribution can significantly advance our mission.

Making charitable contributions is an art - a creative process that adapts to the changing needs and wishes of the donor. Planned or legacy giving is an increasingly popular way for individuals of all financial circumstances to make charitable gifts, enabling a donor to arrange charitable contributions in ways that maximize his or her personal objectives. Indeed, there are a variety of plans designed to ensure a gift will be put to the best possible use and fit the donor's financial needs and objectives. We are pleased to provide the following information to outline several opportunities you may wish to consider as you plan your own charitable gifts.

DONOR BENEFITS:

Private philanthropy is the foundation of almost every nonprofit organization, including Special Olympics Connecticut. To preserve the memory of a loved one, to fulfill a moral obligation, to express gratitude for a service well-performed, to demonstrate deep-felt humanitarian concerns - these are some of the reasons hundreds of thousands of people each year contribute to charitable organizations. Depending the asset given and the gift arrangement selected, a donor can generally expect to obtain some or all of the following benefits:

Fulfill personal philanthropic goals
Reduce income tax through a deduction for the gift
Avoid capital-gain tax on gifts of long-term appreciated property
Retain a stream of payments for life for the donor and for other beneficiaries
Eliminate federal estate tax on property passing to charity upon the donor's death
Reduce costs and time in estate settlement

KINDS OF GIFTS:

There are many ways to make a planned gift. The most popular gifts include naming Special Olympics Connecticut as a beneficiary in a will, making Special Olympics Connecticut the owner and beneficiary of a life insurance policy, making a gift of tangible personal property (such as a work of art) or real estate. One very popular gift vehicle, the charitable gift annuity, provides lifetime income payments to the donor in return for a gift of cash or marketable securities.

SECURITIES AND REAL ESTATE:

Popular alternatives to cash are gifts of appreciated property, such as securities and real estate. Such gifts generate a double tax benefit. In addition to receiving an income-tax charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of the property, the donor escapes any potential tax on the capital-gain element in the gifted property. To qualify for this double tax benefit, the property must have been held for more than one year.

Sometimes family considerations do not permit the making of an outright gift. This is often the case when the gift is a personal residence or farm. Instead, the donor may consider a gift of a remainder interest in the property. In that situation, the donor retains the right to possess and enjoy the property while obtaining a current income-tax deduction for the present value of the charity's remainder interest.

TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY:

As with gifts of securities or real estate, a donor is entitled to a charitable deduction for gifts of tangible personal property, such as works of art, rare books, or stamp or coin collections. If the use of the contributed property is related to the exempt purpose of Special Olympics Connecticut (e.g. sports equipment), the donor is entitled to a charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of the property (subject to the 30% ceiling and carryover rules).

DEFERRED GIFTS:

Deferred gifts are not available for use by Special Olympics Connecticut immediately. Usually, they become available only after the death of the donor, or for certain trusts, after a period of years. Examples of such gifts include bequests, life income arrangements (gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, etc.) and life insurance. Deferred gift vehicles provide donors the opportunity to help ensure the future of our movement.

BEQUESTS:

A bequest is the most common form of planned gift. A bequest is actually the element of a person's will that speaks to the making of a charitable gift. Bequests enable individuals to make significant gifts that they may not have been able to make during life. Bequests can take many forms and specific language requirements do exist. Many people have found the bequest to be an excellent way to make a meaningful charitable gift. Effective planning permits virtually anyone to realize the personal satisfaction that comes from making a bequest gift, a gift that can be made without jeopardizing the financial security of the donor's family. To memorialize their philanthropic interests, individuals may use different kinds of bequests. The choice depends on each person's unique circumstances and personal and financial objectives. A specific bequest identifies particular assets to be gifted, while a general bequest provides a sum certain as the subject of the gift. A percentage bequest expresses the gift as a percentage of the total estate, regardless of size. This bequest provides more flexibility in a volatile market. It is also possible to make a gift of what is left after taxes, debts, expenses and other bequests have been satisfied (a residual bequest), or the gift may be conditioned on the occurrence of some event, such as an intended beneficiary predeceasing the donor (a contingent bequest). In addition to the personal satisfaction of making a philanthropic bequest, there are definite federal estate-tax benefits. An estate-tax charitable deduction is allowed for the full value of the gift.

LIFE INCOME ARRANGEMENTS:

A life income arrangement can allow a donor to make a substantial gift to Special Olympics Connecticut while still providing for the individual's financial needs. There are several types of such plans, all of which combine lifetime payments for one or more beneficiaries designated by the donor with a gift to Special Olympics Connecticut. These plans are attractive to many donors because they offer substantial tax benefits and may increase cash flow to the donor or other beneficiary, depending on the asset contributed. Life Income Arrangements include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts.

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY:

The charitable gift annuity is among the oldest, simplest and most popular of the charitable life income arrangements. In exchange for a transfer of cash or marketable securities, Special Olympics Connecticut contractually guarantees to make specified annuity payments to the donor and/or another beneficiary. The payment rate depends on the age and the number of beneficiaries. Some state restrictions may apply to gift annuities. Payments may begin immediately or, with a deferred gift annuity, at a set time in the future - at retirement, for example. This type of annuity is attractive to donors who have a high current income and who are interested in augmenting potential retirement income on a tax-favored basis.

CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST:

The charitable remainder trust is a popular plan because of the financial and estate-planning flexibility it offers. A donor transfers property under a trust agreement that specifies how trust income and principal are to be distributed, and the trust may be created to become effective during life or at death. This trust is similar to the charitable lead trust, except that a charitable beneficiary receives the remainder interest. A charitable remainder trust can provide financial security for the donor and the beneficiaries while generating significant federal estate-tax savings. To qualify for favorable tax treatment, a charitable remainder trust must be in the form of either an annuity trust or a unitrust. The annuity trust provides for payment of a fixed dollar amount annually - or at more frequent intervals - to the designated beneficiary or beneficiaries. The amount must equal at least 5% of the initial fair-market value of the trust. The unitrust provides for payment of a variable amount - equal to at least 5% of the value of the trust as it is revalued each year - at least annually to the designated beneficiary or beneficiaries. Both the annuity trust and the unitrust provide that at the death of the last beneficiary the trust principal is distributed to charity. The key difference is that payments from an annuity trust are fixed and do not change even though the value of the trust may change. Payments from a unitrust, however, fluctuate according to changes in the value of the unitrust.

CHARITABLE LEAD TRUST:

The lead trust is different from the remainder trust in that the charity receives the income payments from the trust for a given number of years rather than the donor's beneficiaries. Also, at the end of the trust term, the assets of the trust are returned to the owner or his or her designee. This allows the transfer of assets to heirs while greatly reducing gift taxes. This vehicle is used many times to transfer assets to children and grandchildren. Again, the trust must be in the form of either an annuity trust or unitrust.

LIFE INSURANCE:

While most people own some form of life insurance because of its unique ability to meet a variety of needs for financial protection, its role in planned giving is frequently overlooked. Life insurance itself can be the direct funding medium of a gift, permitting the donor to make a substantial gift for a relatively modest annual outlay. Insurance can also replace the value of an asset given to Special Olympics Connecticut. Life insurance allows a donor to make a substantial gift on an installment basis by making a series of modest payments, and a gift of life insurance is certain, the proceeds are paid promptly, without going through the time-consuming process of probate. Depending on the arrangement of the gift, life insurance can create a number of favorable tax consequences.

For More Information or Assistance
We are embarking on a campaign that will continue to challenge the world to recognize the giftedness of people with intellectual disabilities. Buoyed by our first three decades of credibility and success, we are ready to replace fear, stigma and oppression with possibility and opportunity.

If you would like more information about gift planning options or the Olympus Society, please contact us at 203.230.1201 or 800.443.6105 or via e-mail at robertg@soct.org.

Some of this material was provided on behalf of Special Olympics by Pentera, Inc.

WEDDING/SPECIAL OCCASION FAVORS:

Favors for wedding guests, or those invited to any special occasion celebration, are commonplace. Instead of the usual; a tulle bag filled with candy-covered almonds, picture frames, candles, custom chocolate candies, etc. please consider an "in lieu of" gift to Special Olympics Connecticut. Knowing you are changing the lives of our athletes while celebrating a memorable occasion is a wonderful gift. If you are interested in donating to Special Olympics Connecticut through a special occasion please contact us at 203.230.1201 or e-mail robertg@soct.org.

FREQUENT FLYER MILES:

Do you have more frequent flyer miles than you can possibly use? Please consider donating them to Special Olympics Connecticut through our association with the mileage donation programs of several leading airlines. Your mileage donation will be used to help defray travel costs directly related to the Movement for athletes, coaches and staff.

Delta Air Lines®

SkyWish® members can e-mail their donation request to delta.bids@delta.com with the word "SkyWish" in the subject line or fax their requests to 404.773.1945. Please include the following information in either your e-mail message or fax request:

Full Name:
SkyMiles^TM Account #:
Phone #:
Charity: Special Olympics
# of Miles Donated:

Note: Delta Air Lines requires a minimum donation of 5,000 miles.

Northwest Airlines®

To make a mileage donation please call 800.327.2881. The minimum donation is 5,000 miles; larger donations may be made in 1,000-mile increments. For more information write to Northwest Airlines at the following address:
2700 Lone Oak Parkway
Dept. A1305
St. Paul, MN 55121

Northwest WorldPerks® members who contribute at least $50 to Northwest charity partners, such as Special Olympics, receive 500 WorldPerks Bonus Miles. To make a tax-deductible monetary contribution, contact Special Olympics directly and mention the Northwest AirCares® program (please be sure to include your WorldPerks number in order to receive the Bonus Miles).

Note: All donations are final.

United Airlines®

Since 1996, more than 350 million miles have been donated to the United Mileage Plus®Charity Miles Program to meet the urgent travel needs of selected non-profits across the country. Through this program, members can donate a minimum of 1,000 miles to Special Olympics Connecticut. To do so, please call United Mileage Plus Customer Service at 800.421.4655.